“There Is Abuse Everywhere”

Abstract

Migrant-serving nonprofit organizations negotiate some of the most intractable economic, social, and political problems in the United States. In the realm of economic development, nonprofit organizations have emerged as labor market intermediaries, devising various strategies to assist migrant workers in securing work, making ends meet on low wages, and negotiating an abusive workplace. I contribute to literatures in community and economic development, by presenting a definition of the sector of “migrant nonprofit organizations” and typologizing organizations’ labor market strategies. The role of nonprofit organizations in the labor market is contradictory, both flanking and contesting precarious work. The article draws on a survey and semistructured interviews with organizations in Chicago.