Adhikaar’s Newsletter: October-December 2023
Advocacy + Organizing
Domestic Worker Program: Fight For Recognition, Rights, And Dignity Of Domestic Work
We had a monumental win in January - after seven years of organizing and campaigning by our Domestic Worker staff, members, and leaders, we finally passed the New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights! Our team was present as Governor Murphy signed the bill into law on January 12, 2024, which will protect over 50,000 Domestic Workers in NJ.
Last quarter was one of the most intense and critical windows to pass the NJ Domestic Worker Bill of Rights during the budget session, and was up against formidable opposition. Our New Jersey members along with partners from our NJ Domestic Worker coalition fiercely advocated and took action throughout the Fall until the bill was passed in both the Senate and the Assembly. Our team made legislative visits, organized rallies, collected petitions, and shared stories with media outlets.
This win is our win — for years, Adhikaar has been hearing from our Domestic Worker members working in New Jersey about being taken advantage of, discriminated against and exploited due to limited English proficiency, immigration status, and nationality. Our members took matters into their own hands and said “NO MORE!” — we need protection and must be able to work with dignity. We found like-minded partners also beginning to organize around ideas around legislation, and thus the campaign for the New Jersey Bill of Rights was born.
Since the bill was signed, we are now moving into our next phase: implementation. We’ve already begun raising awareness about the bill with members across the state. Our next step is to ensure that the law is successfully implemented and the bill can reach workers across the entire state so that they can work with dignity and respect at their jobs.
Nail Salon Program: All Hands In for a Just and Equitable Industry
In December, Adhikaar’s Nail Salon member leaders along with New York Healthy Nail Salon Coalition partners convened together to reflect on our strategies and actions from 2023 for the passage of the Nail Salon Minimum Standards Council Act as part of our #AllHandsIn campaign and also planned new strategies and activities for the new legislative session in 2024.
If passed, the Nail Salon Minimum Standards Council Act would create a state-level council of workers, employers, and government officials that would recommend ways to improve the nail salon industry across New York. It also would create a price minimum committee that would propose a new pricing model to raise standards so that both workers and employers can benefit.
At the convening, workers strategized on escalation tactics, doubled down on legislative targeting and deepened their skills as spokespeople to push the campaign toward success this session.
To learn more about #AllHandsIn, click here.
Services
Adult Literacy Program: English For Empowerment (EFE), Digital Literacy and Citizenship classes
We are very proud of nine of our citizenship class students who passed the citizenship test and became new U.S. citizens this last quarter. Throughout their time at Adhikaar, they showcased their continuous dedication and perseverance in learning. Some of the students who passed the test first began their journey by learning English through our EFE classes and over the years they progressed through different levels of EFE classes. Once completing the EFE series, students began preparing for their citizenship test through our citizenship classes and now have successfully passed their test! We’re excited to see the growth of our members in developing their civic engagement and confidence in navigating the U.S. system.
Our adult literacy program focuses on enhancing our community members who have limited literacy and have limited English proficiency. Through this program, not only are we building their confidence in English, we are also developing their digital and health literacy, deepening their understanding of workers’ rights as a way to create healthier workplaces and secure just employment, increasing community participation in civic engagement, and providing new immigrant services and benefits.
In December, we concluded the year by celebrating all of our adult literacy students at our community and worker center in Woodside, Queens. Over the entire year, they have been attending various levels of EFE classes, including Domestic Work and Nail Salon industry-focused classes in Queens and Brooklyn, digital literacy, and citizenship classes.
Youth and Civic Engagement Program: Building Intergenerational Community
Last fall under the coordination of our Civic Engagement Fellow Aayushma Rai, our youth members engaged with our voter members on the importance of voting and how it impacts our community.
We also supported our members in Nepali language with voting plans, including locating their poll site and registering to vote or for postal ballots. We also supported members with voter registration and did community outreach where we shared the APA VOICE Voter guide which was translated in Nepali.
To celebrate the end of the year, we had a arts and crafts session with 22 of our youth members where we reflected on our experience last year and our individual and collective hopes for the new year.
Adhikaar in News!
Audio Files, “New Yorkers In Pursuit Of Change”
