Today something very important happened in Chicago that the independent media community would be remiss not to include in its list of daily stories. At noon there was a press conference for the official opening of the Albany Park Worker’s Center, the first democratically-run worker’s center to be opened in the Midwest. And it happened to open right here in Chicago.

The conference consisted of five Chicago day laborers and the executive director of Latino Union, Jessica Aranda. In addition, there were approximately 50 attendees, some press, some workers and many from various organizations throughout Chicago that have been directly involved in the fight over the past four years to see a space open in Chicago that would directly serve the immigrant worker community.

And today it finally happened. Amidst almost constant applause for their efforts, the workers in partnership with Latino Union announced the opening of the center. According to Arturo, who began the conference, after 15 long years of having to survive on the corner looking for work, oftentimes in bitter cold, the day laborers would now have a place inside to come to and a place from which to organize within the community. After four years of fighting for a space, today the center became a reality for many who have been without a real voice in the Chicago community for far too long.

The history of the struggle of Chicago’s day laborers has been a long and difficult one that dates back at least fifteen years within the community of Albany Park, when workers first began going to the corner on W. Lawrence Ave. in front of the McDonald’s. It was the first corner where day laborers came together in Chicago. About 3 years ago, at the behest of Alderwoman Laurino, the workers were moved to the Salvation Army on Pulaski, where they remained for three months before they were moved yet again to the bus turnaround across the street. Here workers stayed only another three months before the site was closed down by the city in August of last year. Since then, workers have returned to the original corner on Lawrence, although many others have remained on Pulaski. At least until now.

Another worker, José Luís, described his own personal struggle, not just for himself but for his family left behind in Mexico, “I have a wife and three children whom I haven’t seen in four years. My youngest child is 5 years old. He doesn’t know me. I wasn’t there for his first steps, his first words..but (my family and I) don’t have options.” So he has remained here in Chicago all of these years to try and make enough money so that even from afar he can provide for his family. Today, José Luís refers to the opening of the center as “a dream”. Hopefully it is one that he can count on for years to come.

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the Latino Union of Chicago and its coalition of organizations called the Friends of Albany Park Day Laborers, the Albany Park Worker’s Center is now officially open for business. It is located on the corner of Elston and Avers and is open Monday through Saturday from 6am to 2pm. All workers who want to get out of the cold and into a space where they can organize are welcome. In the words of another worker, Jorge, “it’s very sad, but no one knows us on the corner. We’re anonymous.” Hopefully with the continued work of supporters within the community, the new worker’s center will ensure that no day laborer will ever have to feel that way again.