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Adelphi University Hosts Public Forum with Domestic Workers on September 29, 2008
Garden City, NY
August 26, 2008
Adelphi University will host Domestic Workers United, an international coalition dedicated to promoting awareness of domestic worker rights, for a public forum, “Building a Movement to Empower Caregivers,” on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Ballroom, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. The forum, sponsored by ICAN: Imagine Change Act Now Collaboration Project, the Department of Political Science, and the Gender Studies Program, is free and open to the public.
The forum will feature a number of speakers from Domestic Workers United who will share a history of domestic labor in the United States. They will discuss the impact of globalization and neoliberal policies, address the often inequitable working conditions of domestic workers, and report on the organization’s current campaigns.
Domestic Workers United is a model for domestic labor organizations around the nation. The organization was instrumental in advancing New York City legislation, passed in 2003, that establishes rights for domestic workers hired through employment agencies. Their advocacy continues on the state level, where the proposed Domestic Workers Bill of Rights would guarantee basic benefits, rights, and protections for the statewide domestic workforce, a sector otherwise excluded from the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act.
Domestic Workers United was founded in 2000 as a collaborative project between members of the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) and Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers. Today, the organization represents nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers employed in New York State from the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. The coalition has designed a basic domestic worker contract to be utilized by employers and provides legal representation to unfairly treated workers, winning over $300,000 in unpaid wages since 2000. They offer training courses, including English as a second language, basic computer literacy, nanny training, and leadership training, while also organizing a network of support for the state’s approximately 200,000 domestic workers.
For more information about this event, please visit http://events.adelphi.edu/ican or contact Assistant Professor Traci Levy at (516) 877-4595 or levy@adelphi.edu.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,500 students from 41 states and 63 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
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