SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - It is their full time job.
Latino laborers gather near 400 West and 500 South in Salt Lake City and wait for a job.
But these days there’s more waiting than working.
“We're all after the same thing Americans, Latinos, we'll all looking for work," said Salvador Martinez.
Mario Castillo has been waiting for a job for two weeks.
Each morning he walks from the nearby shelter and waits for an employer to drive by and take him.
“Last year there was plenty of work, now there’s nothing,” Castillo said.
Castillo used to live in an apartment, but without any job, he’s forced to live in a shelter.
He does have a line on a job in Vernal.
But here's his problem. Castillo’s pickup is at the repair shop.
It's his only source of transportation.
“They’re fixing it but I don’t have any money to pay for it because I’m not working,” he said.
ABC4 News went to Caricios repair shop to ask the owner if there was a chance for sweat labor or a payment plan.
“We will work it out with our clients,” said Roberto Caricios, who owns the shop along 700 West in Salt Lake City. “If there's a problem with money he can make payments and I'll give him his pickup right away so that he can find work.”
But then ABC 4 News told him that Castillo was homeless and lives at the shelter.
And that's when the owner had a change of heart.
“I'm going to tell my secretary to make sure he is not charged anything for the repairs,” he said. “We want to contribute something. He needs a vehicle to find a job."
Caricios said he understands what it's like for immigrants looking for work.
“I came to the United States the same way as an immigrant without a job and without a place to stay,” he said. “I'll never forget that and I'll never forget my race."
ABC4 News returned to 400 West to tell Castillo about the offer.
He was still at the street corner waiting for someone to hire him for the day.
But his demeanor quickly changed when we delivered the news.
“Thank you, that's great, thank you,” he said. “I'm very happy, very happy."
Caricios said he will make the repair a rush order and planned to have the pickup ready by Saturday.
