Some in the Valley opt for 'Will Work' Day

Published online on Sunday, Sep. 06, 2009

Since it was first declared a federal holiday in 1894, Labor Day has become a treasured chance to take one last summer break from work.

But with a recession raging and unemployment soaring in the Valley, plenty of people would just as soon be laboring today.

Josh Kukalis, 26, of Fresno is one of them.

It's been nearly two years since the lagging economy cost Kukalis his job as an installer for a Fresno spa and fireplace company. Since then, the father of four has relied on pickup jobs as a handyman, aided by his wife, who posts online classified ads for him up to a half-dozen times a day.

"If I can get work on Labor Day, I'll do it," he said. "I work seven days a week if I can."

Kukalis, who uses his initials to bill himself in his ads and on his MySpace page as a "J.A.K. of all trades," does a little bit of everything -- from plumbing to landscaping. But, he said, most of the work he gets now is fixing up homes that have been bought out of foreclosure.

This weekend held the potential of working for a Los Angeles office-furniture company that is remodeling a string of bank branches on weekends when they're closed. Since Labor Day is a bank holiday, Kukalis said the work could extend into a much-needed third day.

"That's what I'm hoping for," he said. "I can definitely use the money."

Kukalis isn't alone. On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were nearly 15 million people out of work across the country in August.

More and more people are joining Kukalis in their online pleas for odd jobs -- and not all are out of work.

Cyd Oldham, 40, of Fresno is among the estimated 7.6 million people in the U.S. who work at more than one job, according to the latest figures available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Oldham works full time as a paralegal, but the job simply doesn't pay enough to cover the monthly bills. So she advertises her services as a dog trainer, working in her off hours to help people and their four-legged friends.

"I'll work nights, weekends, holidays, whenever I can get jobs," she said. "I don't have anything booked on Labor Day, but if someone called, I'd be there."

Oldham, who has worked in the past to train dogs for police and search-and-rescue and as service dogs for handicapped people, started pitching her skills for household pets about a year ago with a Web site and online ads for Cyd's Dogs.

She charges $50 for a first session to visit a home and work with the family and its pet on problem behaviors. "I say I'm a dog trainer, but really I train people," she said. "Most of the issues can be solved in just one visit. ... I do it because I love the dogs and their families.

"And it helps to have some extra income, too," Oldham said. "It makes the difference to buy groceries, pay a bill or cover the vet bill for three dogs of my own."

Not everyone is having the same kind of luck, though.

So far, Elizabeth Hoover of Visalia hasn't had any takers on her first online ad seeking work cleaning houses, mowing lawns or whatever she can find on evenings and weekends. She wants to augment her income as a full-time sales representative for a paint company.

The paint business has suffered from declines in the construction industry, and Hoover, 26, said property managers have scaled back repainting projects at apartment complexes.

So if she can earn some extra money cleaning someone's home on Labor Day, that's OK with her.

"I'd work sunup to sundown if I could," she said. "I'm very thankful to have a job, but I'd love to try to get ahead."

Another Visalia resident, Joe Mecca, said despite his wide-ranging skills, he's been unable to find any work at all since moving from Modesto earlier this year.

Mecca, 31, said he spent four years in the U.S. Navy, serving as a search-and-rescue swimmer. After his military service, he worked in construction, landscaping, fitness training and as a general laborer. But since his last job driving a forklift at a Modesto warehouse, his search for a job in the Visalia area has been fruitless and his online ads to work as a handyman have gone unheeded.

"If I could work on Labor Day, I'd work all day, man," he said. "It's just how it is right now. I don't want any time off, I'd work seven days a week."

Kukalis said he's seeing increasing competition from other people who are looking for whatever odd jobs might be out there.

"The number of people has probably doubled in the last few months," Kukalis said. "A year or so ago I was one of maybe four or five handyman ads, but now there's about 20."

It's an up-and-down existence. August was slow, Kukalis said, but other months have provided enough work for the family to have a little money left after paying the bills.

"If the economy wasn't turning around, I don't think people would be buying all these foreclosed homes," he said. "Maybe the economy isn't where we want it, but at least it seems to be getting better."