A proposed ordinance seeks to keep day workers in Huntington in hiring halls instead of trying to procure work out on the sidewalks.

The town ordinance would implement $25 fines for anyone caught loitering on a sidewalk actively looking for work. Employers who pick up laborers who aren't at the hiring hall would face even higher fines of up to $1,000 per incident.

A day worker who didn?t want to be identified told News 12 Long Island that if he can meet an employer before entering the hiring hall area, he has a better chance at work.

However, upon inspection, the gate on a hiring site in South Huntington was found to be locked. A worker later re-opened it and said it was closed because of the rain. Family Service League, the non-profit that runs the site, says it would look into the gate problem. The organization backs the town ordinance if it will bring people back into the hiring hall.