domestic workers united

September 3, 2007
For Immediate Release

Contact: Ai-jen Poo (646) 529-7000

Domestic Workers Launch National Alliance for Justice on Labor Day

New York, NY – Following the release of the Nanny Diaries, this Labor Day, immigrant nannies, housekeepers and elderly caregivers across the country are announcing the formation of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, representing thousands of workers and 4 cities across the country including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC and San Francisco. The alliance includes a number of groups from New York, and announced plans to come to New York in the spring to support the demands of New York domestic workers for recognition and labor standards.

Labor Day is a time of recognition of the contributions of working people to the culture and economy of the US. However, for hundreds of thousands of domestic workers who are excluded from most basic labor rights, it is a reminder that basic workers rights are still not a reality for so many. Domestic workers work long hours, for low wages, in isolation, without overtime pay, and are extremely vulnerable to abuse. In fact, most domestic workers will be working this Labor Day.

For these workers, Labor Day is a reminder of the importance of organizing, and uniting with other workers to achieve respect, recognition and rights.

Members of Domestic Workers United – an organization of New York nannies, housekeepers and elderly caregivers, predominantly from the Caribbean and Latin America, will be celebrating the formation of a national alliance on Labor Day with a renewed commitment to organizing for a New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights including a living wage, health care and basic benefits, and reminding legislators of the necessity for labor standards for this critical workforce that makes all other work possible. Members will also be marching in the Caribbean Day Parade along Eastern Parkway to bring visibility to the struggles of domestic workers at the annual celebration of Caribbean immigrant heritage in New York. Caribbean immigrant women have represented a significant percentage of the domestic workforce in New York for over three decades.

The goals of the newly formed National Domestic Workers Alliance are to build the power of the domestic workforce, bring visibility to the struggles of domestic workers, and improve the workplace conditions.

Member organizations include: the Women's Collective of La Raza Centro Legal, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, and People Organized to Win Employment Rights in the San Francisco Bay Area; CHIRLA and the Pilipino Workers' Center organize in Southern California; CAAAV Women Workers' Project, Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers. Damayan Migrant Workers Association, Domestic Workers United, Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, Unity Housecleaners Cooperative of the Hempstead Workplace Project and Las Señoras de Santa Maria in New York; and CASA of Maryland. The Alliance will be planning actions in New York in the coming year, to bring national visibility and support for the New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights [A628B, S5235].

http://www.domesticworkersunited.org/