Business owners: Day laborers in Huntington Station hurting business

Some business owners in Huntington Station say large groups of day laborers in the area are becoming a problem for their businesses.

News 12 Staff

Oct 2, 2019, 7:22 PM

Updated 1,941 days ago

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Some business owners in Huntington Station say large groups of day laborers in the area are becoming a problem for their businesses.
The owners say some of the workers spend the day drinking and urinating in public, driving customers away. The workers can be seen every day at the corner of Depot and Pulaski roads.
"They continually are loitering," says Steve Conte, of the Huntington Station Business Improvement District. "So if they haven't gotten picked up for work, they're just kind of hanging around the parking lots and on the street."
Conte says Huntington Station Business Improvement District is working with the police department to install security cameras in the area.
Town of Huntington officials say they are aware of the complaints. A town spokesperson tells News 12 they're researching possible code changes to address the situation. Officials say they are also working with the Suffolk Police Department on the matter.
Police have stepped up patrols in the area. Some day laborers say they feel like they are being treated unfairly by police.
Inspector Bill Scrima with the 2nd Precinct says the workers are left alone as long as they stay off private property.
"People standing on the sidewalks are allowed to do that, and as long as they're not on the CVS property there will be no issue," says Scrima.
There used to be a hiring site for day laborers in Huntington Station, but that was shut down in 2010. Town officials say there are no plans to open a new site.
The day laborers say they are just looking for work and that it would be great to have a centralized location to gather.
Town officials say they are working to secure grant money for additional cameras.