NDWA May 2025 Domestic Worker Newsletter
![NDWA May 2025 Domestic Worker Newsletter]()
Coming together to renew our energies and show our power!
Coming together to renew our energies and show our power!
Spring is in the air, and with it comes a renewed energy for our movement! 🌷 In April we came together for something BIG—We Power Care: the 2025 NDWA and Care in Action National Assembly! The Assembly was a moment to celebrate our victories, build power, and get ready for the road ahead. From pushing for better wages to securing new rights, we’ve already accomplished so much. Now, in the season of growth and renewal, we’re planting seeds for even bigger wins.
In this newsletter you will find:
Over an action-packed four days, from April 10th – 13th, more than 1,200 domestic workers and organizers from 25 states came together for We Power Care: our 2025 National Assembly. The assembly grounded us in the strength of our legacy, the challenges we face today, and the inspiration of our vision for the future. Our central purpose was simple: come together in community to build domestic worker power.
Members at the NDWA National Assembly. (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
Hosts and guests at the NDWA Virtual Assembly.
The assembly included 60 workshops led by chapters, affiliates and allies; inspiring speakers on timely topics like technology and care work, and how immigrant workers are standing up for their rights and communities in this moment; visits from care champions including Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Lateefah Simon; a look back at our Alliance’s major victories in the last 5 years; and the election of NDWA’s next Board of Directors. We also had an incredible Culture Night with over 30 acts celebrating the beautiful diverse cultures of our Alliance!
With hundreds of thousands of domestic workers claiming NDWA as our home, it was important that the assembly be a hybrid online and in-person event. While 1,200 domestic workers from NDWA affiliates and chapters traveled to Washington DC to be together in-person, hundreds more joined us virtually, including through watch parties at NDWA affiliate organizations and chapters across the country. Our dedicated team of live-cast hosts created an engaging virtual experience, complete with exclusive in-studio interviews, Q&As with virtual participants, online trivia and other exclusive content for the virtual audience. The Virtual Assembly allowed all domestic workers to join us from anywhere!
After a warm welcome from the NDWA DC-Maryland-Virginia Chapter, the assembly kicked off with a powerful panel where we heard from Juana Flores (Mujeres Unidas y Activas), Valerie Tsosie (New Mexico Caregivers Coalition), and Katrina Mouzon (NDWA North Carolina Chapter) who shared lessons from key moments in NDWA’s history. As panel moderator and NDWA Board Chair, Crystal Crawford reminded us, “Our founding set the stage for us to reach our north star, to ensure we are building power at every step, and that every domestic work job is a good job!”
We then heard from affiliate organizations Adhikaar and Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and the NDWA Pennsylvania Chapter about current bright spots where domestic workers are organizing and winning right now. We heard about the successful campaign to secure the New Jersey Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, health and safety wins in Los Angeles, and the campaign to win anti-retaliation protections for workers in Philadelphia that will set a new standard for the nation in making our rights real.
Abby Ruiz, NDWA PA Chapter. (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
“We learned quickly that a right without enforcement is no right at all. Employers are still not listening. It’s like being handed the keys to the house, but there are no doors, no locks. How can a worker feel secure? The POWER act is what gives us the lock and the key. It makes sure our rights are real and enforced, and we are really close to winning it! A win for one is a win for all. It’s about ending the cycle of rights on paper with nothing in practice. We want laws with teeth, rights with power and protections that are real!” – Abby Ruiz, NDWA Pennsylvania Chapter
UPDATE: After the assembly, the tireless efforts of domestic workers in Philly paid off, when the city council PASSED the POWER Act, delivering new anti-retaliation rights and relief to thousands of domestic workers in the city, and setting a powerful precedent for domestic workers nationwide!!
From left: Ai-jen Poo (NDWA), April Verrett (SEIU), Doug Moore (UDW) and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (MomsRising). (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
The care our families and communities rely upon is facing unprecedented threats, and our movement’s leadership is needed more than ever. NDWA President Ai-jen Poo moderated a conversation with allies from SEIU, United Domestic Workers and Momsrising focused on what is at stake in this moment and how we are working together across sectors. Panelists discussed threatened cuts to Medicaid funding that would have a devastating impact on both care workers and care recipients. While the threats are real, we emerged energized by the knowledge that we and our allies are advancing an alternative path for the future: a vision of an economy and a democracy rooted in values of care.
“I think through care we can realize the true imagining of what America can be. I think about care in many ways, but when we achieve what we know we can achieve through our movement, we will become the country that can actually deliver on its promises.” – SEIU President April Verrett
Throughout the assembly virtual participants took action to say Medicaid cuts would hurt ALL of us. Add your voice, share a comment about how important Medicaid is to you, and add your name to call on Congress to protect the immigrant care workers who sustain this country and oppose cuts to Medicaid which millions depend on.
In an exciting surprise, long-time care champion Senator Bernie Sanders joined the assembly to show his support for the domestic worker movement, answer questions from our members and allies, and offer words of motivation to keep up the momentum towards our vision. Senator Sanders talked about care work as essential work and recognized the power of our organizing. He answered questions from participants about what Members of Congress must do to stop cuts to Medicaid and to defend immigrant workers and movement leaders who are facing unscrupulous attacks from ICE. Following Senator Sanders’ remarks we heard powerful speeches from leaders from NDWA affiliates and allies inspiring us to continue fighting for our members and communities.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uw69xPZLWe4
During the townhall, Senator Sanders took a question from Jeanette Vizguerra’s daughter about what actions need to be taken NOW to protect immigrant communities. Jeannette is a longtime NDWA member who has lived her life fighting for workers and immigrants and was recently detained by ICE without warning. We must stand with Jeanette now. Read more about Jeannette and sign the petition to demand her release!
Throughout our history, NDWA has always adapted to changing circumstances, identifying new threats as well as new opportunities to make domestic work jobs good jobs. Now, new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are entering the care sector, and it’s up to us to assess how these developments could impact domestic workers.
From left: Panel moderator Rohini Kosoglu, Jacqueline Lamar and Tara McGuinness. (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
During this plenary, Home Care Council member Jacqueline Lamar shared some of the learnings from the Council’s recent work to explore the possible impact of AI on the care sector. She was joined on the stage by moderator Rohini Kosoglu and speakers Tara McGuiness, Rashad Robinson and Patrice Martin – all of whom brought unique perspectives on the technology and media landscape impacting domestic workers.
The key takeaways were clear – AI changes are coming, but technology will never be able to replace the human touch of care workers. At the same time, AI could threaten to worsen working conditions as it has for workers in other industries. Domestic workers must play a central role in shaping how this technology will work with and for workers! To that end, panelists also introduced Ask Aya, NDWA’s own AI tool, which is currently being developed with the input of domestic workers for use by domestic workers, to help workers learn about our rights, plan care, communicate effectively with our employers, and more.
Our role as organizers is to help other domestic workers and our communities stay hopeful, connected to solutions and to one another – to find the way forward. The assembly’s concluding session featured domestic worker leaders and key partners sharing strategies for weathering the challenges of the moment while charting opportunities for the long term. We heard from Rosario Nava, director of NDWA affiliate organization MISMA, about the difficulty of organizing in a challenging environment in Texas. Rosario described finding strength in the determination of MISMA’s members to rigorously learn and grow together. We also heard from Royce Bryant from the NDWA / We Dream in Black New York Chapter about organizing, mutual support and solidarity during moments of crisis. And journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas shared his reflections about how to build over the long term through investing in community.
When asked what gives her hope in this moment, Rosario summed up the feelings of many of us at the assembly – “Hope is NDWA!!”
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1POfOdEkJ4
International Domestic Worker Federation President Carmen Britez closed the session, reminding us that NDWA forms part of a powerful, global movement for domestic workers’ rights. She urged us to remember that in unity there is power, and that together we make each other stronger.
One of the most exciting things about the NDWA assembly is always the election of our Board of Directors!! The courage and effort that both candidates and voters put into the elections process is at the heart of what makes NDWA a vibrant, democratic, worker-led alliance.
Delegations cheering on the newly elected board! (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
The NDWA board of directors is composed of representatives from three affiliate organizations, one chapter, one representative from each of NDWA’s three Worker Councils, three allies, and one staff person. Because of our unique Board structure, domestic workers hold the majority of NDWA’s Board seats and are joined by talented and committed organizers and allies. At the assembly, over 20 highly qualified candidates ran in a competitive election for 10 Board seats.
Assembly delegations caucused to reach consensus on how to fill out their organizations’ ballots. In the end, our Board elections process involved the input of many hundreds of domestic workers and organizers. Congratulations and thanks to the candidates for your willingness to serve, to the delegations for your inclusive decision-making processes, and to the elected Board members who will guide NDWA over the next two years.
Some of the newly elected Board members, with members of the Elections Committee and NDWA Executive Director Jenn Stowe. (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
Affiliate and Chapter representatives:
Worker Council representatives:
Allies:
NDWA staff:
Members at the NDWA Assembly. (Photo by Stefan A. Photography)
Our time together motivated us to continue organizing, with even greater resolve and unity in these challenging times. We came away knowing that our vision for a better future is the one the entire country desperately needs. We are grounded in the fact that domestic workers do the work that makes everything else possible, we are each essential, and “the world stops without us.” We emerged knowing that our unity is our power and we all have the responsibility to bring more domestic workers into our organizations so that this power may grow. Whether you attended the assembly in person, joined us online, or are just reading about it now – you are part of NDWA. Together, we power care!
Register for our all-Alliance call on Thursday, May 15th at 5pm Pacific Time / 6pm Mountain Time / 7pm Central Time / 8pm Eastern Time. On the call, we’ll celebrate recent domestic worker campaign wins, take action together to defend Medicaid, and learn about new developments in immigrant rights that impact our communities.
Register for the next of our series of immigrant rights workshops for domestic workers, on Thursday, May 29th at 5pm Pacific Time / 6pm Mountain Time / 7pm Central Time / 8pm Eastern Time. This workshop is for everyone who wants to learn how to protect our communities and stand up for each other. Come to learn from our guest presenters from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and be in community with other domestic workers.
We Dream in Black (WeDiB) is the organizing home that centers the voices and experiences of Black, Afro-Latina, and Afro-descendant domestic workers at NDWA. Across the diaspora, our organizing is our power. If you are a Black domestic worker interested in learning about WeDiB, register for our next orientation meeting on Monday, May 19th at 7:30 PM Eastern Time / 6:30 ✊🏾
If you’re not already following We Dream in Black on Instagram, consider this your personal invite! 🎉
On mother’s day, and always, we honor all who do the work of mothering and providing care. Happy Mother’s Day! 💐❤️
Please keep an eye on your texts for ways to be in the community, get the latest information on our work, and find out how you can be involved. If you’re not already on our broadcast text list, you can join by texting WORKERS to 33843 to get the latest information on our work and receive event and online meeting invites. And please invite all your domestic worker friends to join the text list.