Domestic Workers Launch National Alliance for Justice on Labor Day

September 3, 2007… From Domestic Workers United...

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].