The Day Worker Center of Mountain View is committed to providing you with useful tools as a worker and as a member of this community!
We are proud to support you in your efforts by providing free employment services - connecting you with employers as well as occupational training. We also offer English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, employment rights information, information about community resources, healthy meals and more. You are welcome to join our family and share your talents because you are a valuable part of our community!
For a list of free classes and programs, visit the Programs page.
Worker's Resources
Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE)
OLSE provides a free advice line for workers and employers, offering information and assistance with labor standards
compliance or workplace issues. The OLSE Advice Line is available from Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. Multiple Languages are available; calls are 100% free of charge and confidential.
For more information, visit the OLSE website or to speak with an attorney, call 1-866-870-7725
Questions about wage theft? Unsure if you have experienced wage theft? Call OLSE’s free legal advice line at
1-866-870-7725.
Wage Theft
*From Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
"Wage theft can happen to anyone. Wage theft is the practice of employers failing to pay workers the full wages to which they are legally entitled.”Common types of wage theft include:
Receiving pay less than minimum wage in the city of your workplace
Working off the clock
Not being paid for overtime work
Stolen tips / your supervisor keeps a portion of your tips
Missing meal or rest breaks
Not receiving a final paycheck after leaving a job (immediately if you were fired or within 72 hours if you leave a job)
Late payments/ paycheck
Non-sufficient funds (NSF)/ bounced check
Not being paid at all
Being classified as an independent contractor when you’re an employee
2022 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
The 2022 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave is in effect as of February 19, 2022. Covered employees in the public or private sectors who work for employers with 26 or more employees are entitled up to 80 hours of 2022 COVID-19 related paid sick leave from January 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022. To see if you qualify, please call County of Santa Clara Office of Labor Standards Enforcement Legal Advice Line at 1-866-870-7725.
employee
rights
Independent Contractor vs. Employee
success stories
JOSEFINA
“I thought that once I stepped onto American soil, I would be a free person. I thought that it was a nation made by immigrants, full of opportunity, full of jobs, that is the dream. People who are born here, even our own kids at times, do not understand the struggle to make a better life for ourselves and our families. They don’t understand what extreme poverty is; what it is like to not to have shoes to wear; to not to be able to go to school, and to not have food to eat. They don’t understand the desperation people feel who have absolutely nothing.
Before crossing the border, I spent a month in Tijuana with my children, living off what we could find in trashcans. There was no work. Us, women, we are also workers; we have families to support and we can’t be on the street, at the mercy of others.
There are people who say that we’re thieves, coming here to live on welfare, but it’s not true. We are not criminals; we are here to work. We just want to be recognized for the work we do. I used to work for different companies where the pay was extremely low, and sometimes we had to wait five or six weeks to get paid. Thanks to the Center, we have the opportunity to find work that pay a better salary.
I’ve been in this country for more than 14 years and I’ve never had the opportunity to take English classes until I came to the Center. At the Center, when we’re not working, we’re studying and learning. Now, my children have graduated from high school and one attended college. They are living the opportunity that coming here has given to them. I’m very grateful for that.”
Carlos
"The Center guides and orients us, and refers us to other services when we need them"
Read more
Freddy
"We lost our home and entire crop in Hurricane Stan. We came here from pure desperation... Here, we are accomplishing our dreams"
Marco
The reward is "payback"- to be able to pay back to the community with my first aid and lifesaving skills. I train teachers for the Red Cross CERT program"
Javier
"I came here with nothing...through the Center I had the good fortune to find work, a scholarship and the opportunity to study”
MARIA & Jim
"This is my idea of America - how America can work"
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hear more about the worker's daily experiences?
Yes, visit our Day Workers Journal, a blog written by the workers.
What is the Workers Commission?
The Worker’s Commission is a council formed by members of the Center. It is chosen by the community of workers to determine the minimum hourly pay and conditions of employment for all members. The Commission is a powerful way to help the Center and its members. It also provides a unique opportunity to further enrich your leadership skills.
Why do I have to register?
We ask workers and employers to register for each other's benefit. Employers feel safer knowing we know the names of the workers. By knowing the names of the employers, we have the ability to facilitate the connection if a labor problem arises or if you are not paid by an employer. The information provided you provide us is confidential.
Does the Center set the wages for the job?
No, the Center communicates the salary scale to employers based on what the Worker’s Commission decides. Currently, the Worker’s Commission has set the minimum rate of $25 an hour.
Does the Center charge a fee for services provided?
No, we do not charge for our services. The cost of the services are paid for by donations and grants.
If I come to the Center, will I get a job?
We hope so! You can call the Center and we will put your name on a list of workers looking for a job that day. If you prefer, we can send a link to your phone for you to register online.Unless you have a special skill, workers are called in the order in which they sign in. If there are as many jobs as there are workers, everyone will have work that day!
Will I have to sit around a long time waiting for a job?
Hopefully not! But while you're waiting, you have the opportunity to participate in the many activities and classes the Center offers on a daily basis. For more information see our Programs page.
Currently because of COVID, we are limiting the number of people onsite at the Center to just staff. When a job comes up, a member of our staff will call you with the details so you are able to arrive at the job site or help make any transportation arrangements if needed.