Luis Cortes

Finds work, one day at a time

Some people have to worry about showing up for work, but Luis Cortes worries about the work showing up for him.

Several mornings a week he waits with a hundred other day laborers along Belltown's Western Avenue, hoping to land a job that will last a day, maybe two, sometimes more. A couple of nearby agencies try to streamline the hiring process, but plenty of freelancers stand solo along surrounding streets. Here, today, he's far ahead of the cluster, hoping to be first in line.

It's usually the trucks and vans that pull over, so it helps to be ready — and to know a little English, because you never know what employers will need. Roofing, masonry, carpentry, house moves: Whatever the day brings. The lucky might find a permanent job; others might go days without a bite. It's a living for 22-year-old Cortes, who sends money to his wife and kids in Mexico.

Q: When do you get here?

A: About 8 or 9. Some are here earlier. Some days there's a lot of work, some days a little.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Mexico City. I spent five years working for a plastics business. I've been here two years.

Q: What kind of work do you do?

A: Painting, construction, yard work, all that.

Q: What kind of work do you prefer?

A: I like painting the best. Or electrical — I did some of that in Mexico.

Q: Any plastics work?

A: If there were, I'd do that, too.

Q: What's your strategy for getting an employer to pick you up?

A: You just go over when they drive up. It's a little bit of luck.

Q: What's in your backpack?

A: Work clothes. I have other shoes that I wear.

Q: What's your philosophy about being a day laborer?

A: It's work, that's all.