Uniting for Care

NDWA, along with the Care Can’t Wait Action and Care Can’t Wait Coalition, was in Washington, D.C. from April 9-11, 2024 celebrating the accomplishments in care, which coincided with 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 includes more than 50 directives to federal agencies to utilize existing funding to expand access to quality, affordable care, and provide support to family caregivers and care workers, including domestic workers.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, President Joe Biden joined the Care Can’t Wait Action coalition for a rally at Union Station to celebrate care champions, advocates, elected officials, families, early childhood educators, and care workers. Speakers, including advocates from the country’s largest labor unions and grassroots organizations, celebrated the progress made by the care champions within the Biden-Harris administration and Congress over the last four years while calling for additional legislative action in 2025.

President Biden, who was introduced by Crystal Gail Crawford, a childcare worker and NDWA member, 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.”

Watch Crystal’s speech and President Biden’s remarks.

On Thursday, April 10, 2024 care workers and advocates from across the care economy joined a Congressional Town Hall with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Bob Casey Jr. (Penn.), Bernie Sanders (Vt.), Senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Minority Whip Katherine Clark as well as members of the Care Can’t Wait Action coalition to discuss solutions to support the care industry.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su holds a roundtable discussion on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by the National Domestic Workers Alliance)

Following the town hall, several care workers joined Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su for a roundtable discussion on the importance of raising standards for all care workers and domestic workers. Su emphasized that the sample agreements – announced as part of the White House 2023 Executive Order on care – for domestic workers are critical to ensure transparency between employers and workers.

Worker members also went to the Department of Commerce where we engaged in a roundtable discussion with Secretary Raimondo. Workers were able to discuss their stories of why an investment in the care infrastructure is needed and the work that the Department of Commerce has done to prioritize care.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) holds a panel with domestic workers on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by the National Domestic Workers Alliance)

In addition to the roundtable discussion with Acting Secretary Su, other domestic and care workers joined Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) for a panel on the Federal Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. Representative Jayapal heard from NDWA members like Dulce Tovar, a nanny from Texas, and Gale Johnson, a nanny from New York. They compared their experiences coming from a state without a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (Texas) and a state with a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (New York), emphasizing the need for a federal bill.

On Thursday, April 11, 2024 the White House held a Care Convening, with several care workers across the care economy. Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor, Lael Brainard, Assistant to the President and Director of the National Economic Council, Stephen Benjamin, Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, and Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services provided remarks, which were followed by a panel moderated by Jen Klein, Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council, that stressed the critical role of strengthening the nation’s care infrastructure.

Throughout Care Workers Recognition Month and beyond, let’s harness this momentum to create a future where every caregiver is not only recognized but also valued, supported, and celebrated. Learn more about how you can get involved and take action!