NDWA Worker Newsletter
Spring 2022

Happy Spring! As the weather warms up and the flowers begin to bloom, many of us are also feeling a renewed sense of excitement about our movement and all that we can accomplish together. We have been taking action all across the country, both digitally and in person. Thousands of us have called Congress demanding that they invest in the care economy. And recently 100 domestic workers traveled to Washington DC to build support for our National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, while hundreds more of us amplified that message by calling Congress from all around the country. We’ve attended online and in person actions and activities, supported and advocated for each other as the pandemic goes on, and have built community despite the many challenges we face. 

And over the past few months, since our last newsletter, hundreds of you have joined as dues paying members of our alliance, building a stronger movement into the future! Our alliance is the home for all house cleaners, care workers, and nannies, and we are here for each other in good times and bad.

Here’s what’s included in this newsletter:

• Stay in the Loop
• Take Action to Win the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
• Updates from We Dream in Black Spirit Week
• Congratulations to the Graduates of the We Make History Course!
• News from our Chapters
• NDWA Executive Leadership Expansion
• Get Support to File Taxes and Get your Refund
• Become a Dues-Paying Member of NDWA
• Dues-Paying Members Corner

The National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2019, is national legislation that includes domestic workers in many essential workplace laws for the first time, while creating new protections and stronger ways to enforce them. This spring we’re ramping up our campaign, encouraging more and more members of Congress to co-sponsor the Bill. 

This legislation is coming at a critical time for working women. The pandemic not only showed us how essential care is to keep our society and economy going, it highlighted the precarious nature of work that domestic workers, disproportionately composed of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous women and immigrant women, face everyday. 

The Bill covers three major gaps in protecting domestic workers in the workplace by: 

• Including domestic workers in workplace protections like paid overtime, paid sick days, safe and healthy working conditions, meal & rest breaks, and freedom from sexual harassment
• Creating new protections to address the unique challenges of domestic work: written agreements, fair scheduling, a new standards board and support for survivors of sexual harassment
• Ensuring that rights aren’t just on paper, but that they can be enforced and implemented:  Know-your-rights information, mechanisms against retaliation 

On May 11th, a delegation of 100 domestic workers traveled to DC to make sure our representatives know just how important and urgent it is for them to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. We had over 40 meetings with Congresspeople and their staff and had a powerful rally with some of our most committed partner organizations. Meanwhile, over 950 of us called our Members of Congress from all around the country to amplify that message. No matter where we are, we’re all a part of this campaign to win new rights and dignity! 

Check out these photos to get a glimpse of how domestic workers built our power to win in DC. 

It might take years to win this campaign and make the Bill a law, and we’re going to need YOU to take action so we can get there. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved. 

Over the past year, hundreds of members of NDWA, our affiliates and chapters have taken part in We Make History, a 30-hour course on domestic worker organizing history and NDWA’s core strategies to make domestic work good work. On Saturday, May 7th, we held a virtual graduation ceremony for the 400+ domestic workers who completed the course this year. Congratulations, graduates! Through your hard work and commitment, you are making our movement stronger! To learn about domestic worker history, visit www.domesticworkers.org/history.

NDWA’s leadership is expanding! On April 22, 2022, we officially and formally announced that Jenn Stowe joined our movement as NDWA’s Executive Director, while Ai-jen Poo remains a part of our fight as President of the organization. Together, Jenn and Ai-jen will continue building a robust, multi-racial movement alongside domestic workers and our supporters. Both Ai-jen and Jenn have a lifelong commitment to building up and supporting the leadership of domestic workers, and are excited to continue connecting with and learning from NDWA members. If you’re a dues-paying NDWA member, remember that you can join Jenn and Ai-jen directly at our member meetings each month, to share ideas on how we can win together.

Interested in becoming a member? Membership costs only $5 per month, or $60 per year. Your membership dues will support our organizing to make domestic work good work. Dues-paying members have the right to participate in special member-only consultations that shape the direction of our campaigns. In addition, members have access to member benefits like life insurance, discounts on vision and dental services, movie and entertainment deals — and more! Now more than ever, domestic workers need each other. Together we are building a world where your work will be recognized and valued. JOIN NOW!