A Tacoma-based labor-staffing company has entered a partnership with federal immigration officials to ensure it doesn’t hire illegal workers.

TrueBlue Inc. – which employs more than 600,000 people, including about 300,000 new hires annually – joined the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program, or IMAGE.

Tuesday’s announcement was the culmination of a yearlong process involving training and auditing of hiring practices, said Joanna Monroe, TrueBlue vice president and chief compliance officer.

“We set ourselves as a compliance leader in this industry,” she said, “so we want to be the first to reach out to government to become more compliant.”

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I sat down with Rabbi Zalman Heber of Chabad of Pierce County last week to discuss the plans for a synagogue in Tacoma’s West End. Heber lives in the house directly west of the site, upon which sits a five-car garage.

The synagogue plans have received some opposition from some of the neighbors. But Heber said it’s not unusual for a such a house of worship – the first traditional synagogue to be built in Pierce County – to be in a residential area because the traditional form of Judaism prohibits driving on the Sabbath.

The synagogue has an agreement with the city to use the parking lot at nearby Skyline Elementary School on the weekends and after 7:30 p.m. on weekdays.

“As far as conflicting with neighborhood traffic – which, understandably, is a big concern – it’s a non-issue,” he said. “We’re never doing things at the same hours as the school. And there’s adequate parking.

So neighbors shouldn’t have a concern about increased traffic. And ideally, it wouldn’t be a factor at all.

“Ideally, it should be empty,” he said. “Everyone should walk. If you ask for my endgoal, it should be empty. But realistically, there’s more than enough parking.”

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Just got off the phone with Mark Friedman, a retired lawyer who lives in Port Orchard. He’s a member of the Chabad of Pierce County congregation

He said he, his wife and 3-month-old child would like to move to Tacoma’s West End one day to be closer to the proposed site of a synagogue. But some neighbors are upset about the proposed size of the building. Friedman said that isn’t anything surprising.

"I think it’s a NIMBY thing – not in my backyard. The neighbors aren’t bad people, but no one wants change in their neighborhood. We all need power plants, but no one wants them close by. We all want electricity in our homes, but no one wants power lines by their house. It’s just change."

Some neighbors are concerned with more traffic jamming the streets. But the synagogue won’t be some sort of megachurch.

"It’s not going to be thousands of people driving in from all over the Northwest. It’s a local, small congregation. A lot of the people are within the neighborhood and walk. And there are a few others who have to drive, but you’re still talking small. On a typical Saturday morning, if we get 25 people, we’re doing well."

And no one in the congregation, he said, harbors any ill will against the neighbors who oppose the synagogue.

"I think something like this happens anytime anyone wants to build anything anywhere. It’s nothing sinister. It’s just human nature."

I'm going to continue reporting on the West End synagogue today, with the recap of my interview with the rabbi. I'm also writing this as I listen in to a conference call about Immigration and Customs Enforcement's IMAGE program.