We Are Moving On To Victory, With Hope and Dignity (Seeger Singing). New York State’s 200,000 domestic workers are moving toward a significant legislative victory. Domestic Workers United, an organization of thousands of nannies, housekeepers and elder care workers, went going to Albany Tuesday February 10, 2009 to lobby for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. I went with. Update Post Jump.

These workers, largely immigrant women of color, are not “employees” for most purposes under New York State’s Labor Law. Their Bill of Rights will put that right. In 2008, the bill, A01470, gained more than 60 supporters in the NYS Assembly. Sponsored by Keith Wright (and co-sponsored by among other, my Assembly Member Brian Kavanaugh) the bill was acted on favorably by the Assembly Labor Committee (25-1). The Bill of Rights has gotten major support from the NYC Central Labor Council, from AFL-CIO President John Sweeny, Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith (as an individual) and progressive organizations (eg: Jews For Racial & Economic Justice and CODA, the Lower East Side Political Organization).

You can help without going to icy Albany.  read more »

For a person like me, who came of age in the course of the civil rights movement of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, it was a perfect left-wing storm: Blacks, Asians, Jews, clergy, labor united, demanding dignity and workers' rights. Your chance to march with them is Saturday June 9, 2007. More about that after the jump.

Demanding enactment of a NYS “Domestic Workers Bill of Rights” hundreds of domestic workers – largely, it seemed, West Indian and Asian, packed into the Sanctuary of Judson Memorial Church, listened to their leaders, AFL-CIO president John Sweeny, socialist-author-blogger, Barbara Ehrenreich, State Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith and leaders of Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ). There was, by the way, lots of great food.  read more »