Dirt Cheap

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Menstuff® includes here some information about dirt cheap labor.

Dirt-cheap day labor

• If you pay a worker more than $50 a month, you must pay the employer's share of Social Security taxes and withhold federal income taxes. These rules apply even if the worker is not a citizen.
• You must fill out an I-9 form, an employer verification notice required by immigration authorities. It is available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Web site. You don't have to file it with any government agency, but just in case government officials ever knock on your door to see the form, keep it handy.
• You are required to see two valid identifications from each worker, including one with a photo.

Safety: Yours and theirs

If a day laborer is injured on your property, he could sue you or seek to make a claim on your homeowners insurance policy.

Because some insurance companies have riders that prohibit payments to illegal workers, it might be a good idea to see what you are liable for before you head down this hiring route.

Whether a homeowners policy would cover an injured day worker depends on state workers-compensation law and whether any employer is required to have coverage. Citizenship is not a factor. If state laws do not apply, then a homeowner's liability and medical coverage may cover an accident.

If you decide to hire a day laborer

• Learn some basic Spanish phrases. The majority of day laborers are Spanish-speaking; many may not know English. At the very least you should be able to name the task you would like done. It will probably cost you more if you need an English-speaking helper for the day, said Pablo Alvarado, the director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, a coalition of day-laborer groups.
• Know what you expect to pay. This varies from place to place, but a good guideline is New York and Los Angeles, where the hourly rate is about $10. It's more expensive if workers bring their own tools or if it is heavy-duty work, Alvarado says. Even if a job lasts several days, expect to pay at the end of each workday.
• Typically, homeowners provide lunch if a job is for all day.
• Treat these workers like any other employee. They may need your bathroom, regular breaks, or rides to and from their originating point or to a public bus stop. "Employers are employers, no matter whether you are hiring a person for a day or a year," Alvarado says.
• The work won't be guaranteed. You cannot stop payment on the check because you have most likely paid in cash. And you might not be able to locate the worker to complain or get a shoddy job fixed.

Source: articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/DirtCheapDayLabor.aspx

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