National Domestic Worker Alliance

Across the country there are over 250 million domestic workers - housekeepers, nannies, and care providers, who are doing the work that makes all other work possible. Does your community or constituency include domestic workers? The National Domestic Worker Alliance, born out of the USSF 2007, will present some highlights of our work over the past three years and share models from the field on how to organize domestic workers. This workshop will explore how to build the leadership of immigrant women of color, particularly domestic workers, to win decent jobs, transform the labor movement, and create social justice. We will discuss strategies for outreach and basebuilding, and some of the key components for healthy and vibrant organizations including leadership development, healing, democratic structures, conflict resolution, campaigns that matter and inspire, and connection to a broader movement.

This PMA focuses on how we can expand workers’ rights to organize. It will bring together workers who are excluded from the right to organize and other labor protections in the United States, for discussion on organizing strategies and the potential for reforms to strengthen workers' rights and democracy through the expansion of the right to organize to include all workers. We seek to bring leaders from the various sectors, including domestic workers, day laborers, restaurant workers, taxi drivers, farm workers, workers in the right-to-work-for-less states of the South, welfare/workfare workers, formerly incarcerated workers, and guest workers, together, to share conditions in our industries and learn from one anothers experiences organizing. In addition, we seek to identify potential for collaboration, campaigns, and a common agenda for reforms at the federal level (including as they relate to the National Labor Relations Act) that could ultimately address the exclusion of our sectors from the human right to organize and collectively bargain.

This presentation and panel looks at grassroots social justice membership organzitions and unions that are building worker cooperatives, collectives and land trusts as tools for transforming our communities, and forging worker democracy. How can the work of fighting bosses and bureaucrats, and the work of building a new economy that is just, equitable and sustainable be mutually supportive? Restaurant workers, day laborers, gardeners, and domestic workers offer us their solutions. There will be time after the panel for small group discussions on how these ideas are applicable in our own communities and organizations. Panelists from: Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, LA; La Collectiva/Women’s Collective of the Day Laborer Program, San Francisco; Restaurant Opportunities Center, New York; IDESPSCA – LA

Across the country there are over 250 million domestic workers - housekeepers, nannies, and care providers, who are doing the work that makes all other work possible. Does your community or constituency include domestic workers? The National Domestic Worker Alliance, born out of the USSF 2007, will present some highlights of our work over the past three years and share models from the field on how to organize domestic workers. This workshop will explore how to build the leadership of immigrant women of color, particularly domestic workers, to win decent jobs, transform the labor movement, and create social justice. We will discuss strategies for outreach and basebuilding, and some of the key components for healthy and vibrant organizations including leadership development, healing, democratic structures, conflict resolution, campaigns that matter and inspire, and connection to a broader movement.

This PMA focuses on how we can expand workers’ rights to organize. It will bring together workers who are excluded from the right to organize and other labor protections in the United States, for discussion on organizing strategies and the potential for reforms to strengthen workers' rights and democracy through the expansion of the right to organize to include all workers. We seek to bring leaders from the various sectors, including domestic workers, day laborers, restaurant workers, taxi drivers, farm workers, workers in the right-to-work-for-less states of the South, welfare/workfare workers, formerly incarcerated workers, and guest workers, together, to share conditions in our industries and learn from one anothers experiences organizing. In addition, we seek to identify potential for collaboration, campaigns, and a common agenda for reforms at the federal level (including as they relate to the National Labor Relations Act) that could ultimately address the exclusion of our sectors from the human right to organize and collectively bargain.

This presentation and panel looks at grassroots social justice membership organzitions and unions that are building worker cooperatives, collectives and land trusts as tools for transforming our communities, and forging worker democracy. How can the work of fighting bosses and bureaucrats, and the work of building a new economy that is just, equitable and sustainable be mutually supportive? Restaurant workers, day laborers, gardeners, and domestic workers offer us their solutions. There will be time after the panel for small group discussions on how these ideas are applicable in our own communities and organizations. Panelists from: Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, LA; La Collectiva/Women’s Collective of the Day Laborer Program, San Francisco; Restaurant Opportunities Center, New York; IDESPSCA – LA