FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2023
Contact: Christina Coleman christinacoleman@domesticworkers.org, prerana@ellecomm.com

National Domestic Workers Alliance and Partners Wrap Historic Week for Care Economy

The week was punctuated by a White House Executive Order, a Town Hall with Senator Bernie Sanders and a summit bringing together people from across the industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week marked an unprecedented movement towards a just and equitable care economy, as hundreds of family caregivers, people with disabilities, older adults and early childhood and long-term care workers gathered in Washington, D.C. to sound the alarm on the care crisis and chart a path forward. The week was underscored by the signing of the Biden-Harris Administration’s set of executive actions to improve care affordability and care jobs, as well as the first-ever Care Worker’s Can’t Wait Summit and a town hall meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders. Links to images and video from the events below. 

Here is a more comprehensive look at the week’s activities: 

  • Care Worker’s Can’t Wait Summit: In a show of unity, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), SEIU, AFL-CIO, AFT, AFSCME, Community Change, MomsRising, Care in Action, Care Can’t Wait, and a number of the care movement’s Congressional champions, gathered to sound the alarm on the care crisis and launch a renewed effort to educate the nation, improve the quality jobs, and recognize care workers. Workers, activists, care recipients, union members, and other leaders from across the care economy were joined by notable public figures, including Morena Baccarin and Members of Congress Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Representatives Angie Craig, Jimmy Gomez, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 
  • The Biden-Harris Administration Executive Order: On Tuesday, April 18, President Joe Biden signed a historic set of actions with 50 directives aimed at nearly every cabinet-level federal agency to utilize existing funding to expand access to quality, affordable care, and provide support to family caregivers and care workers, including domestic workers. 
  • Town Hall with Senator Bernie Sanders: On Tuesday evening, hundreds of workers convened at the U.S. Capitol for a conversation with Senator Sanders, National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-jen Poo, Sen. Bob Casey, International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Mary Kay Henry, along with care workers Venice Sanders, Suzzane Ott, and Miren Algorri. Care advocates and workers were able to share their lived experiences with the care system and voice their needs from policy makers in order to make their jobs good jobs and make care more accessible for all. 

“We are the child care, early childhood, nursing home, personal care, and home care workers of America,” said National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-jen Poo in her opening remarks. “We stand on the shoulders of domestic workers and home care workers like Dorothy Bolden who were explicitly excluded from the labor rights of the new deal, and yet whose courageous organizing, and refusal to sit at the back of the bus powered a national movement for civil rights. Our organizations were never meant to exist, let alone be powerful. But look at us now. I don’t know about you, but I want to do something big with the power we’ve built. That’s what the next two days are all about.”

“Yesterday, we witnessed history,” said National Domestic Workers Alliance Executive Director Jenn Stowe on Day 2 of the Summit. “We witnessed President Biden – alongside people with disabilities, family caregivers, long-term care workers, early educators, veterans, and aging advocates – announce the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has ever taken to make care more affordable and accessible for hard-working families while supporting care workers and family caregivers. The Executive Order will make care more affordable, enhance job quality for care workers, provide greater support for family caregivers, and advance domestic workers’ rights. This was your victory. This was workers standing in our power, demanding dignity and respect, from the White House to the U.S. Capitol!”

The Care Workers Can’t Wait Summit and the Biden-Harris Administration’s executive actions come on the heels of the White House proclamation designating  the month of April as Care Workers Recognition Month. Ai-jen Poo, Jenn Stowe, and The National Domestic Workers Alliance partners and care workers are available for interviews to discuss their efforts to strengthen the care economy and the implications of the Administration’s care investment commitments.

MEDIA RESOURCES: 

Ai-jen Poo, President, and Jenn Stowe, Executive Director, are available for interviews upon request. For interview inquiries or if you’d like to learn more about the Care Workers Can’t Wait Summit, please email christinacoleman@domesticworkers.org and prerana@ellecomm.com.


National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the leading voice for dignity and fairness for millions of domestic workers in the United States. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for respect, recognition and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, the majority of whom are immigrants and women of color. NDWA is powered by over 70 affiliate organizations and local chapters and by a growing membership base of nannies, house cleaners and care workers in over 20 states. NDWA has created Alia, an online platform to help domestic workers access benefits, not otherwise granted to them, in addition to introducing a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights with now-Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal in 2019. Learn more at www.domesticworkers.org.
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