Domestic Workers United Press Conference at City Hall

In this set of photographs, a group of people stand on the steps of City Hall in New York City. Some of them are holding handwritten signs advocating for domestic workers' rights. Legible signs read: "Respect Women’s Labor!!”, “Domestic Workers United Will Never be Defeated!”, “African, Asian, Latina, and Caribbean Women United Against Exploitation”, “How Do you Benefit from Our Labor?”, “Domestic Workers United”, “Rights, Respect, Recognition, Dignity for Domestic Workers”, and “Justice for Domestic Workers.” Partially visible is a banner of the Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers. A different person is speaking into a microphone in each image. In the foreground of two of the images, facing the group and with their backs to the camera, are members of the press. Some of them can be seen photographing the event. In one of the images, the speaker is wearing yellow rubber gloves.

The Women Workers Project (WWP), also known as Kalayaan at Pogkakaisa ng mga Manggagawang Pilipina (Freedom and Unity Among Filipina Workers), was founded by CAAAV in the early 1990’s as a program to support immigrant working women across low-wage service industries. [1] WWP organized multiple leadership and advocacy campaigns in support of domestic workers from Caribbean, African, South Asian, and Latino communities with the goal of improving conditions for domestic workers across the city. [2] In 2000, WWP co-founded Domestic Workers United (DWU) in collaboration with Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers (AOSAW) in order to “bring domestic workers of all ethnicities together to form one general organization.” [3] DWU is a collectivized workforce that advocates for fair labor standards in the industry. [4] 

The press conference pictured in the images was organized by WWP at DWU in the context of a campaign to protect domestic workers’ rights. The purpose of the conference was to promote the passage of Resolution 135 and Intro. 96, two pieces of legislation that sought to address issues of abuse and exploitation that domestic workers and household employees can be vulnerable to. In particular, Resolution 135 required employment agencies to “provide a written code of conduct for all domestic workers and household employees, as well as their employers.” [5] Intro. 96 also required that employment agencies provide applicants with a “statement of job conditions describing the nature and terms of employment.” [6] Both legislations were passed in 2003. In 2010, the New York Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights was passed. New York was the first city in the nation to put in effect a municipal bill of this kind. [7] After years of advocacy and campaigning, DWU was instrumental to the passing of the Bill. [8] 

[1] “Voice Spring 2002,” CAAAV Digital Archive, accessed October 13, 2024, https://archives.caaav.org/items/show/2140.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Jahmila Tahirah Vincent, “New York Domestic Workers: Non-Profits, Community Organizing and the Implementation of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights” (Urban Studies Master Theses, Fordham University, 2013), 57, https://research.library.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=urban_studies_masters.

[4] “Our History,” Domestic Workers United, accessed October 13, 2024, https://www.domesticworkersunitednyc.org/history.

[5] City Council of the City of New York, Committee on Civil Service and Labor, “Hearing Transcript 5602” (New York, May 6, 2002), n.p.

[6] Ibid.

[7] “CAAAV’s Women’s Worker’s Project,” CAAAV Digital Archive, accessed October 13, 2024, https://archives.caaav.org/exhibits/show/quality-of-life-caaav-activism/women---s-worker---s-project.

[8] Vincent, “New York Domestic Workers: Non-Profits, Community Organizing and the Implementation of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights,” 1-95.