After nearly a quarter-century of providing a free service to help day laborers find work and help local residents, organizations and businesses find temporary labor, Oscar Mondragon, executive director of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, says over 16,000 total workers have registered. That’s a lot of people over the years since the Labor Exchange first started in 1993 — more than the population of Malibu itself.
“We’ve become kind of an institution in the community,” Mondragon said. “But the bottom line has always been to provide a venue for workers to get jobs.”
For the past 23 years, the Labor Exchange has been operating out of a trailer parked in the parking lot of the old Malibu Sheriff’s Station, in the Civic Center area near the library; Mondragon has run it the entire time.
“It’s like my home,” he said. “I come here every day.”
In the morning, the Labor Exchange opens for business at 6:30 a.m. Workers interested in day jobs gather outside the trailer to sign up for work. When local residents and employers start calling or stopping by to find workers for various short-term jobs, Mondragon does everything possible to make sure they get what they need. Workers for unskilled jobs are often chosen by lottery.
At 1:30 p.m., the trailer closes. By that time, most employers and residents who need help have already come by. The routine is repeated six days a week from Monday through Saturday.
“Our little trailer gives local folks a place to go for help if they need someone to clear brush from their property, paint a room or build a dog run, among many other things,” Kay Gabbard, president of the Board of Directors and head of fundraising, said. “The Labor Exchange provided 3,204 jobs in fiscal year 2015-16.”
But change is on the horizon — in a few months, before Santa Monica College begins to demolish the old sheriff’s station to construct its new Malibu campus on the site, the Labor Exchange will relocate to the east side of the library.
The Board of Directors decided the upcoming move would be the perfect time to reorganize their setup. The old trailer, which has Mondragon’s office and a small classroom, will be replaced by the City of Malibu, and the group also hopes to modernize training facilities and security.
The Labor Exchange is currently trying to raise $25,000 for its upcoming relocation and setup through Go Fund Me at gofundme.com/8dqq8yek. As of press time, the group has raised about $8,000 toward that goal.
“Our biggest challenge is to get the word out to the community that we exist — not only letting the community know there are workers in Malibu every day looking for the dignity of a job to help them provide for their families, but also in terms of finding a base of local patrons that we can count on from year to year to sustain our work,” Gabbard said.
“For 23 years, we’ve scrambled every year to make up the difference between our budget and the amount of continuing support we receive from the city, county, local churches and a few longtime supporters,” Gabbard explained. “We have operational expenses in keeping the hiring site open and run in an organized manner, including our one employee, Oscar Mondragon. However, we pride ourselves on providing services at a very low cost — a fraction of what other community exchanges operate on.”
“The board’s real mentor and guide is Mondragon — one of the most selfless and genuine people I’ve ever met,” Gabbard said. “His caring and sensitive interaction with our clients is inspirational, and his dedication to helping them learn to help themselves is impressive.”
The Labor Exchange also provides volunteer and student internship opportunities for the Malibu community, including Pepperdine University, churches, high schools and scout troops, who teach subjects to workers that include English, CPR in Spanish, how to set up a bank account and family budget, immigration laws and rights, resume writing and how to use the internet.
“It’s a forum for anyone in the community to share skills with our clients,” Gabbard described.
“Our clients include both men and women trying to improve their lives, educate themselves and ultimately move into a full time position,” Gabbard said. “Our goal has always been to help them move into the future through employment and skills training.”
Anyone looking for work or needing to hire a worker can go to: 23595 Civic Center Way, Malibu, visit malibulaborexchange.org or call 310.317.4717.
