NDWA Worker Newsletter

Happy Spring! 🌷

The sun is shining, buds are popping out of the ground, and the days are lasting longer and longer. We are excited for all the flowers and plants to arrive and for the work that’s in front of us.

April was Care Workers Recognition Month, and it’s an honor and a joy to be recognized! We have had a HUGE MONTH celebrating ourselves and being celebrated by elected officials, our employers, and the broader community! 

Keep reading to see what we were up to last month and for ways to take action and get involved!

Here’s what’s included in this newsletter:

• Stay in the loop
• Care Workers Recognition Month
• Become a dues-paying NDWA member!

Care Workers Recognition Month

It’s been one year since April was designated Care Workers Recognition Month!

A year ago, President Biden designated April as Care Workers Recognition Month alongside an unprecedented executive order aimed at enhancing care accessibility and improving compensation and working conditions for care workers. This year, April was dedicated to honoring the fantastic contributions of direct care and childcare workers while collectively striving to build a care system that serves everyone.

Domestic workers in D.C.

NDWA members from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C. with the Care Can’t Wait Coalition to celebrate the White House’s second proclamation declaring April “Care Workers Recognition Month,” and the one-year anniversary of the signing of the White House Executive Order on Care, which strengthened paid leave and child, aging, and disability care. 

It was a jam-packed week, read below to hear about what we did!

Rally for Care

We had a Rally for Care with President Joe Biden, who was introduced by a childcare worker and NDWA member, Crystal Gail Crawford. President Biden said, “Care workers and caregivers are critical to our family and the entire economy. That’s why, as president, I was determined to turn things around. We made progress but there’s so much more we have to do… If we want the best economy in the world – we have to have the best caregiving economy in the world.” You can watch Crystal’s speech and President Biden’s speech here.

Care Can’t Wait town hall

NDWA members also participated in a Care Can’t Wait town hall. They discussed the need for comprehensive legislation that invests in care, paid family and medical leave, and supports educators and workers. They were joined by Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Senator Bob Casey, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 09: Crystal Crawford, MSW joins advocates calling for the passing of comprehensive legislation that will expand access to affordable, quality care for millions of Americans, expand paid and medical leave, and strengthen our nation’s economy and workforce at a Care Can’t Wait Action coalition rally in Union Station on April 09, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Care Can’t Wait Action)

Listening Session with the Department of Labor

Domestic workers with NDWA got to ask questions about their rights as workers to representatives from Wage and Hour, OSHA, and the Women’s Bureau. These agencies shared important information about overtime, working safely, and taking time off work to care for their own families. To learn more about your rights, click here. To find sample contracts that you can use in your own workplace, click here.

White House Event Hosting Care Workers

The White House hosted NDWA members along with veterans, people with disabilities, and older Americans for a convening and celebration of our coalition’s important work. Care workers and care recipients shared their stories and experiences, and honored the progress we have all made toward making care more affordable for American families, supporting family caregivers, boosting compensation and job quality for care workers, and expanding care options.  

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 09: Care Can’t Wait Action coalition hosts a rally in Union Station with President Joe Biden alongside family caregivers, care workers and early childhood educators, and advocates to celebrate care champions working to expand access to affordable, quality care for millions and strengthen our nation’s economy and workforce on April 09, 2024 in Washington, DC (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Care Can’t Wait Action)

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: (L-R) Caregiver Izamar Barrios, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and Gabriela Guerrero, member of the United Domestic Workers/AFSCME Union in California, speak at the Care Can’t Wait Congressional Town Hall on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Care Can’t Wait Action)

Take action!

There are a lot of ways to take action to support our work and to support each other. Click the links below to learn more and sign some petitions!

• Be a care champion! Add your voice to our movement by signing our petition.
• Stand up for better care and better jobs! Sign this petition to show your support for the Better Care Better Jobs Act and help improve the quality of care jobs while ensuring affordable, accessible care for all.
• Tell Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit. Join us and contact your senators and demand they reject harmful amendments to the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act and pass the Child Tax Credit expansion as soon as possible.
• Support the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights! Add your name to help us pass the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and ensure we as domestic workers get the dignity, respect and rights we deserve.