Celebrating Our Victories in 2021
"Thats my vision, thats where I want to get, and Im getting there with CGA."
In our latest video, member leader Kenya Williams captures the essence of what we are up to: dreaming boldly and translating vision into action. Through year two of a global pandemic, we keep coming back to our commitment to building the power and leadership of domestic workers and tenants across NYC. Before launching into 2022, check out some highlights from this past month and join us in reflecting on our big wins this year.
From winning a historic victory for domestic workers, launching a citywide coalition to build our political power, piloting innovative leadership development and political education programs, training members in community organizing skills, continuing the fight for a public bank, marching for citizenship for essential workers, supporting tenants stay in their homes through the pandemic, and more, we covered a lot of ground in 2021! Here are some of our highlights from this year:
Launched Care Forward, the country’s first neighborhood-based standards model for domestic workers.
Piloted a new community organizing course and trained over 30 workers in English and Spanish.
With coalition partners NDWA NYC, Adhikaar, and Hand in Hand, launched the NYC Care Campaign to build our political power in NYC.
Passed Intro 339, winning human rights for thousands of domestic workers across NYC.
Demanded Citizenship for Essential Workers, marching in D.C and across NYC.
Provided COVID-19 Vaccine Education and appointment assistance for hundreds of members.
Won a historic investment for immigrants through the Excluded Workers Fund, made possible in part by an unprecedented campaign to tax wealthy New Yorkers.
Supported over 1,000 essential workers apply and secure funds through the Excluded Workers Fund.
Joined the launch of #HouseNY, a bold and overdue plan that will eliminate corporate tax breaks for luxury developers, eliminate unjust evictions, and secure funding for homeless New Yorkers.
Fought to extend the eviction moratorium and supported hundreds of tenants access the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help alleviate rent arrears caused by the pandemic.
Adapted our We Rise Nanny Training from in person to online, training over 40 workers in English and Spanish in the six week class.
Continued as an active member in the Public Bank NYC Coalition, fighting to ensure we win a public bank in 2022 (more below)!
Created a member led committee to to join the statewide Excluded Worker Fund coalition, fighting for $3B in additional funding, a permanent alternative to unemployment insurance for exclided workers, and access to healthcare for undocumented New Yorkers.
Featured in media such as New York Magazine and The Intercept.
Piloted the 17 week We Make History political education course in English and Spanish to over 20 domestic workers (read below for more).
On September 26, 2021 hundreds of domestic workers, employers, and community allies gathered to launch Care Forward, the country's first neighborhood-based standards raising model. We developed Care Forward, which will be a model for neighborhoods across the city, to address the historic devaluing of care work and inadequate enforcement mechanisms of hard-fought protections, while imagining what's possible when workers and employers come together to create standards in their own community. This year we will be piloting Care Forward in District 39 neighborhoods of Park Slope and Carroll Gardens.
Fighting for Citizenship for Essential Workers
In October we joined thousands of immigrants and essential workers to #welcomebackcongress and demand investment in the care economy, citizenship for essential workers, and action on climate change!
In February we joined NDWA NYC, Adhikaar, and Hand in Hand to launch the NYC Care Campaign, bringing together domestic workers, employers, and allies to:
Build our power to win victories for the domestic work and care sector
Educate NYC elected officials & New Yorkers on our care issues and identify care champions
Hold the NYC government accountable to transform the care sector into one that is just, equitable & sustainable.
Since the February launch, we interviewed over 60 city council candidates in over 12 forums attended by over 700 participants. We also held a comptroller forum and interviewed two mayoral candidates.
In August, Mayor De Blasio officially signed Intro 339 into law, extending new human rights protections for hundreds of thousands of domestic workers across NYC. The signing was the culmination of a multi-year campaign lead by CGA, NDWA NYC, Adhikaar, and Hand in Hand, that called for the inclusion of domestic workers into the city’s human rights law, and the extension of fundamental employment protections that all other workforces have.
In August we were selected as one of 60 community-based organizations across the State to offer education and support for people to apply to the Excluded Workers Fund, a $2.1 Billion fund for New Yorkers who lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic and were left out of various federal relief programs, including unemployment and pandemic benefits. Over the past three months, we have helped over 800 people learn about and apply, which translates into over $12 million (applicants can access up to $15,000) going directly to low-income, mostly immigrant women.
While we are celebrating this work we know that since the fund closed on, hundreds of people have continued to call requesting support. Its urgent that Governor Hochul replenish the fund and create a long-term sustainable alternative to unemployment, of which many workers are excluded from.
In November we joined Excluded Worker Fund Coalition members across the city for a day of action, thanking our elected official allies (we went to Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes’ office) and calling for an expansion of the now depleted Excluded Workers Fund. The historic $2.1 Billion fund created earlier this year supported thousands of excluded workers across New York State, and we know there are countless workers still in need.
We Made History!
We made history! Deep congratulations to the graduates of We Make History, a 17 workshop course on the history of domestic work, the systems of oppression that have shaped this sector, and the strategies that domestic workers have used to organize for racial, gender, and economic justice. We are inspired by their commitment and look forward to establishing this course as a core program of our political education work in 2022!
Calling for a Public Bank in New York!
As a member of the Public Bank NYC Coalition, we are excited to join partners in unveiling our 2022 legislative agenda to bring public banking to New York! As Wall Street banks continue to redline and extract wealth from Black and brown communities, New Yorkers are demanding that public money work for public good. Join us as we urge the NYS Legislature and incoming NYC government to take swift action on public banking to advance racial equity and a just recovery.
CGA member Shatonia was featured as part of #EssentialToNYC a digital art campaign reaffirming support for essential workers in New York City. This season, let’s thank Shatonia and all the resilient domestic workers who care for New Yorkers! Learn more about resources available in the City, regardless of immigration status: on.nyc.gov/EssentialToNYC