Domestic Worker Organizing

An estimated 2 million people, mostly women of color, work as Domestic Workers or paid housekeepers throughout the US. None are covered under the National Labor Relations Act and are therefore denied protections for union organizing. Domestic workers are subject to wage theft, sexual harassment and other infringements of basic worker rights. In New York state, domestic workers built a 4,000 member organization and were rewarded, after years of organizing and coalition building, when the legislature passed a state Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. A national coalition has been established and in other states, like California, organizations are pushing for a domestic worker rights.