Contact: Danielle Morgan Feris

                                                                                     Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ)

                                                                                                                                                  212-647-8966, ext. 11/www.jfrej.org

Park Slope Synagogues Launch Campaign to Promote Rights of Domestic Workers

Brooklyn, New York: On February 9, the Park Slope Jewish Center (PSJC) and Kolot Chayeinu congregations will come together to launch their collaboration on  an education and action campaign to raise the standard for the treatment of domestic workers in our homes and neighborhoods.

The synagogues will be joined by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) and Domestic Workers United (DWU) for a service and program co-hosted by both communities at the Park Slope Jewish Center.

The more than 200,000 nannies, eldercare givers, housecleaners, and other domestic workers in New York City are currently excluded from most state and federal labor laws. In a recent survey of domestic workers by the Datacenter and DWU (Full report: http://domesticworkersunited.org/) –

• 41 percent of workers reported low wages; 26 percent earned wages below the poverty line or below minimum wage
• Half of the workers worked overtime, often more than 50 to 60 hours a week
• 67 percent did not receive overtime pay for overtime hours worked
• 33 percent of workers experienced verbal or physical abuse or said they had been made to feel uncomfortable by their employers

“Justice for Domestic Workers is not an option for us but an obligation. As Jews and as human beings, we are obligated to insure that all those who work in our community and especially in our homes are treated with dignity and respect,” says Rabbi Carie Carter of the Park Slope Jewish Center.  “Omissions in labor law allow domestic employers to ignore basic rights of workers, and we must change this.  Workers rights cannot only be a distant demand we place on large companies.  To make real change in our world, there is no place better to begin than in our own homes and in our own lives.”

Most local employers hire workers in isolation, with little information about the rights of domestic workers. Kolot Chayeinu and PSJC aim to educate their members about pay, vacation, and benefits issues and encourage employers to take a “step up” in their employment practice and join the New York City Employers for Justice Network. The synagogues will work to establish a new community standard for the treatment of domestic workers in the greater Park Slope area.

Amanda Aaron, member of Kolot Chayeinu and employer of a nanny, recalls, “When I returned to the workforce after having kids, I didn't realize that having in-home childcare would make me an "employer" with responsibilities to an employee who counts on me to be fair.  I have learned this lesson through trial and error and hope to help smooth the way for future employers of domestic workers through education and awareness.” Aaron will speak at this community event on February 9.

DWU, founded in 2000, has already won more than $300,000 in unpaid wages for exploited domestic workers; DWU’s proposed New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is now before the New York State Legislature.

The February 9 service and program will take place at PSJC, located at 1320 8th Ave, Eighth Avenue and 14th Street in Park Slope. The Sabbath service begins at 6:30 and the program, open to the community, begins at 8:15pm.