Media Advisory: Domestic Workers Testify to Mounting Crisis of Abuse, Insecurity, and Exploitation

Domestic Workers United
Ms. Foundation for Women

Contacts:
Ai-jen Poo, DWU (646) 529-7000
Joycelyn Gill-Campbell, DWU (646) 240-6881

New York Assembly Holds First Hearing on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

New York, NY. Nannies, caregivers, housekeepers, and their employers will testify before the Labor Committee of the New York State Assembly in the Assembly's first hearing on domestic workers. The hearing marks a significant step toward passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (A638B), sponsored by Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem, which provides critical protections to the over 200,000 workers who keep New York families functioning and make all other work possible. Currently excluded from many laws that protect other workers, domestic workers are uniquely vulnerable to abuse and face a workforce crisis of mounting proportions.

What:	A hearing of the Labor Committee of the New York State Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Keith Wright, on domestic work.
When:	11 am - 2 pm, Friday, November 21, 2008
Where:	Assembly Hearing Room, 250 Broadway, Room 1923, 19th Floor, NY, NY
Who:	Exploited domestic workers; employers, advocates, researchers; Assemblyman Keith Wright (sponsor of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights), Labor Committee Chair Assemblywoman Susan John. Ms. Foundation for Women Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer will present testimony [prepared testimony]  in support of the legislation. **Workers will be available for interviews with the press**
Why:	"With the financial crisis bearing down upon New York State, domestic workers are at the forefront of those affected by the downturn. They are being laid-off in record numbers, with no recourse of severance and minimal protection under the New York State labor laws. This is a disaster in waiting," says Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, Chair of the Assembly Standing Committee on Social Services. "With the hopeful passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, domestic workers will no longer be relegated to an archaic classification that prevents them from reaping the benefits of honorable employment."

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