Lawyer Wang Junlin, who provides legal assistance to migrant workers at the request of the working committee, has become accustomed to getting late-night calls from Miao or the 32 branch chiefs. These Party workers provide 24/7 services to the Gushi migrants.

Another lawyer, Diao Jiabing, recalled a migrant worker who had been severely injured while working in Beijing. His family had mobilized dozens of Gushi natives to block the gates of the company to demand compensation.

Miao called Diao, who rushed to the site, dispersed the workers and helped them seek compensation through legal means.

"Cash-strapped, lonely and stuck in an unfamiliar environment, quite a number of migrant workers are fractious. When misfortune hits, they can easily change from a victim to a perpetrator if no one comes to their rescue," said Diao.

Wei Jianhe, a member of the working committee, said most disputes lodged by the migrants are about house demolitions, accidents, work injuries and petitions.

"Demolition, in particular, is time-consuming and involves lots of money," Wei said. "If not handled properly, emotions can escalate."

Such disputes are no longer irreconcilable as the influence of the working committee grows.

In mid June, Zhang Wei, who ran a recycling plant in a northwest suburban district of Beijing, agreed to close his business and vacate his rented plot of land to make way for an anti-pollution project.

Though he was compensated by the government, he estimated that the order to close cost him 30 million yuan (about $4.5 million) in potential earnings. Zhang didn't complain, however, as Miao had urged him that the interests of the public should be put before his own, so long as he recovered his initial investment.

"I thought he would negotiate with the local government for us, but he refused, saying that the health of the 21 million residents of Beijing was more important," said Zhang.

When the wife and son of another Gushi native, who worked as a garbage collector in Beijing, were killed in a burglary a few years ago, it was the working committee that organized a donation and found a lawyer for the migrant worker, helping him through the tragedy.

"I was really impressed by the dedication of the Party members with the committee. They are people you can always fall back on," he said.