There is an engine to the Valley’s economic growth that rarely gets talked about — the domestic workers who keep the homes of wealthier workers running so they can pursue their careers and businesses.

Fuerza believes it is wrong that domestic workers take care of other people’s families but do not make enough money to take care of their own. That they are mostly women and immigrants, often times undocumented, speaks volumes about whose work is indispensable, yet devalued and unprotected by society.

 

“We get paid $120 a week to wash clothes, cook, iron, take care of kids, and even bathe the dogs. Is that just? We came to this country to earn a living and support our families, not to be humiliated.”    —  Marcy Valencia, domestic worker

Domestic workers experience high levels of wage exploitation and abuse because they are excluded from most labor protections, work behind closed doors, and often don’t have access to transportation to seek help. This is especially true for workers who live in the homes of their employers.

Fuerza has launched a campaign to:

• Empower domestic workers to stand up for their rights.
• Train employers on the law and hold them accountable for treating their employees fairly.
• Mobilize our communities for policies that improve wages, breaks, overtime, health and safety conditions, and protection from verbal and physical abuse.
• Participate in the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights movement to win basic labor protections at the state and federal level.

The world of domestic workers has remained behind closed doors too long. Fuerza is teaming up with domestic workers to win policies based upon dignity, equal rights, and fairness.

Stand up for domestic workers’ rights!

Contact the Domestic Workers Committee – “Domesticas del Valle” at domesticasdelvalle@gmail.com or (956)433-3523.

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