* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Domestic workers in America are excluded from almost every major labour law, with the exception of minimum wage protection
It is estimated that there are over 27 million modern day slaves across the world. While nowadays, slavery and human trafficking are more commonly associated with sex work, in actual fact 78% of modern day slaves are in “labour slavery.”
Domestic workers are one of the most at-risk populations for exploitation and abuse. Working in private family spaces and without the network or support of colleagues and unions, domestic workers are isolated and left without a voice.
Furthermore, as most domestic workers are immigrant women of colour, they lack strong family and community support systems outside of the workplace, and can be held to ransom through confiscated passports, threats of deportation and withheld wages. Domestic workers in America are excluded from almost every major labour law, with the exception of minimum wage protection.
The “most visible invisible workforce” – that is how Ai-Jen Poo, Ashoka Fellow and Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, describes domestic workers in the USA. She began organising immigrant women workers in 1996 for Asian communities in New York City. One of the first cases she worked on was a woman who had been working for 10 years without pay, believing her wages were being sent back home. Throughout her career, she has come across countless stories of abuse, intimidation and exploitation.
Domestic workers support families and they are on the frontline of America’s ageing population care crisis. Domestic work is an act of love, an act of caring, yet domestic workers are one of the most ignored, under-valued and at risk populations in the country.
Ai-Jen recognised that it is the caring nature of domestic work – the so-called ‘caring economy’ – that is the key to the empowerment of domestic workers. Using love as the organising principle behind the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), Ai-Jen has rallied a traditionally un-organisable workforce into a powerful movement.
From what started as half a dozen women coming together in church basements to share their experiences as domestic workers, through outreach and word of mouth, the NDWA has now grown into a national alliance of 53 organisations, representing over 20,000 nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers for the elderly in 36 cities and 17 states across the US. NDWA also leverages the intimate relationships domestic workers often have with their employers to gain the backing of the employers to join their campaign for the protection and respect of domestic workers.
One of the greatest successes of the NDWA’s work so far was the passing of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights in New York in July 2010. This bill ensures that domestic workers are included in all major labour laws protecting other workers, and secures minimum wage and paid sick days, as well as other basic labour protections. Perhaps most profoundly, this bill represents the voices of domestic workers previously unheard: 7 years before the bill was passed, NDWA held a convention with over 100 domestic workers who created a list of what dignity and respect at work meant for them. This list proved to the foundation for the bill.
Ai-Jen’s work is building a movement for one of the most excluded sectors in the American service industry to bring change across the domestic work system. Her work aligns domestic workers with the needs and demands of today’s economy, while preserving and promoting dignity in their working lives and relationships. By highlighting the labour of love, and the value of domestic work, Ai-Jen is empowering thousands of women to fight against exploitation and modern day slavery.
Ai-Jen Poo is an Ashoka Fellow, to read more about her work see here.
