The following is an article I wrote on domestic worker organizing for Labor Notes, based on my interviews over the Summer with organizers in this emerging social movement. An edited version of this piece will appear in next months Labor Notes... http://labornotes.org/magazine Domestic Worker Organizing: New Front in the emerging “Non-Traditional” Labor Movement by Jerry Mead-Lucero For over two years, Marian, a Colombian immigrant and a housekeeper in Roslyn, New York, worked 18 hours a day, six days a week for about two dollars an hour. The family that employed her fired her without notice, kicking her out of the home and leaving her with nowhere to turn for support. After enduring months of verbal and physical abuse by her employer, “Vivian”, an Indian immigrant and nanny in Manhattan, refused the orders of her boss. Her boss’s response was to strike her with a sandal and kick her out the house without her pay or her passport. “Judy” a Malaysian immigrant and housekeeper on one occa...

Hi All, Updates on my visits with workers in Mexico should be coming in a week or so. I the mean time I wanted to sum up my experience at the USSF. I will try to post some more audio and info from some of the sessions I attended at the forum, particular those organized by the UE, AFSCME and Domestic Workers United at a later time. The following is a short summation piece I wrote for the Industrial Worker, newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). An edited version will be published in next months Industrial Worker, which you can find at... www.iww.org/projects/iw/ Labor Participates in a Big Way at the First United States Social Forum: “What is happening in America to workers today is the result of a thirty year sustained, intentional, strategic, assault on workers, unions, our quality of life and our standard of living. It has been a class war against workers and it is time we engage that class war and fought back… (a standing ovation from the crowd and loud applause).” ...

Alexis De Simone with Casa of Maryland, one of the organizations involved in organizing domestic workers, talks about their work and the decision at the USSF to form a national coalition of domestic worker organizations. The national gathering of domestic workers organizations at the USSF was one of the highlights of the forum, and perhaps the most important labor movement development at the forum. http://www.archive.org/details/AlexisDeSimonUSSF

Ai-Jen Poo of Domestic Workers United (DWU) announces the creation of a national coalition of domestic worker’s organizations at the USSF. This is one of the most powerful labor speeches I have ever heard. Ai-Jen talks about the domestic workers movement as providing new spirit and direction to the entire working class movement. DWU and the other domestic worker organizations represent some of the best labor organizing going on today... http://www.archive.org/details/Ai-JenPooUSSF

Stewart Acuff, Organizing Director for the AFL-CIO, speaks at the Workers’ Rights in the Global Economy Plenary at the USSF. Always a powerful speaker, Acuff talks about a re-invigorated labor movement in terms rarely heard from officials of such high rank in the AFL-CIO. Acuff continues to be one of the best leaders in the organization. In particular, Acuff calls for the AFL to develop closer relationships with “non-traditional” forms of organizing workers. A really exciting speech... http://www.archive.org/details/AcuffUSSF

Joycelyn Campbell, a Nanny from Manhattan, an immigrant from Barbados, and a leader in the Domestic Workers United organization discuss the lack of legal protections for domestic workers in the United States and the roots of this reality in racism as well as U.S. economic and foreign policy… http://www.archive.org/details/USSF-DomesticWorkersUnited1

Members of immigrant rights organizations from around the country speaking out against the “immigration reform” proposals that were being discussed in the U.S. Congress earlier today at a press conference held at the Immigrant Rights tent at the USSF. We received word later in the day, that the reform proposals in Congress were defeated – to the relief of everyone here. http://www.archive.org/details/USSF-ImmigrantRightsPressConference

Gerald Lenoir of the The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), talks about immigrant rights as part of the larger struggle for racial justice at the Immigrant Rights Press Conference at the USSF (United States Social Forum)... http://www.archive.org/details/USSF-BlackAllianceJustImmigration

Nancy Lenk – Deputy Director of AFSCME Local 1644, explains the attempt by Atlanta to turn Grady, a public hospital, into a privatized entity… http://www.archive.org/details/AFSCMEGradyHospitalAtlanta Nancy Lenk – Deputy Director of AFSCME Local 1644, talks about the negotiations over the march route for the opening rally of the United States Social Forum (USSF)… http://www.archive.org/details/RallyRouteUSSF The Hot 8 Jazz Band from New Orleans at the Opening Rally for the United States Social Forum (USSF)… http://www.archive.org/details/Hot8atUSSF