CAMPAIGNS

Andolan’s three main program areas are described in more detail below:

(1) Support to Workers.
Andolan provides on-going support to its members. In each meeting, workers share their problems and strategize together on possible solutions. These issues often deal with immigration status, health problems, low wages, other problems with employers or working conditions, domestic disputes, and learning English. Though meetings are held once every two months, Andolan provides a network and constant social support. This includes accompanying workers to the hospital, counseling over the phone or in person, providing referrals to shelters, and translation. Andolan often receives calls from women experiencing domestic violence. Although there are other organizations that specifically address this issue, they often don’t have staff members that speak South Asian languages. Andolan works with these women to provide counseling, referrals and support. Andolan also holds various workshops that are open to members and non-members alike on topics such as self-defense, legal clinics and workshops on changes to immigration laws, and health clinics.

(2) Lawsuits against abusive employers.
Over the past three years, Andolan has worked with several individuals who have been severely abused, threatened and exploited by their employers. Andolan provides support to members pursuing legal action through various manners that include legal referrals, lawyer meeting attendance, and accompaniment to court. Andolan has brought several cases against employers and has had a high success rate. On-going cases include a worker who was physically abused by a UN diplomat employer, a worker who was not paid her wages for several weeks, a worker who was injured on the job and not permitted to seek proper medical treatment, and three women who work for the same employer and are not being fairly remunerated. 

(3) Campaigns for Workers’ Rights. 
Andolan’s most recent initiative is the Retail Workers Campaign. In this campaign, we conduct surveys in order to understand better the employment position of these workers. Andolan members go directly to the places of employment and carry out these surveys with the retail workers. These surveys ask questions regarding the job duties, salary, and general employment of these workers. Upon completing these surveys, Andolan plans to organize a press conference, where the general public will have an opportunity to learn about the plight of these low-wage workers. We also invite the workers who participate in our surveys to forums of interest at Andolan, and then consequently hope that they become members. In addition, we distribute flyers and brochures to these workers that describe their employment rights under federal and New York state law, employer guidelines, and steps they can take if they are in an abusive work environment. We further provide these workers with Andolan’s contact information, should they ever need support or assistance. We train members and a program associate to do this outreach.

Andolan also recently launched the Campaign against Diplomatic Immunity of UN Employers to demand that diplomatic immunity not be used to shield abusive employers from accountability for their treatment of domestic workers. Andolan is currently the only organization to be working on such a campaign. Campaign activities include protests outside the homes and offices of abusive employers, community education sessions on the issue, and legal support for individual victims. In the past, we have organized a large demonstration with five workers who have been exploited by UN employers; one was paid only $20 per month, two had their passports confiscated, and all have not received the wages agreed to in their contracts. Andolan has already filed lawsuits on behalf of two of these workers (see Daily News article), and the other three, who share the same employer, are beginning to file a lawsuit. We organized a demonstration to bring public attention to the Campaign and the need for accountability. 

Andolan also co-coordinates the Campaign to Increase the Minimum Wage with the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV), an organization working with the larger Asian community. Through dialogue with local and state officials, advocacy efforts and public demonstrations, Andolan is trying to spur greater action on minimum wage laws. Andolan and CAAAV advocate the institution of a living wage of $11 per hour. 

Another Andolan campaign is the Campaign to Create Identity Cards, an initiative to support undocumented workers who have voiced their desire for some form of identification to carry with them to identify themselves. Having an identity card will help provide a sense of security and legitimacy, as well as facilitate routine transactions in everyday life. Particularly after September 11, undocumented immigrants have faced difficulty in accessing public services, such as hospitals that are supposed to be open to all regardless of immigration status. New policies implemented after September 11th that requires individuals to show identification have the de facto effect of limiting access for many workers. 

Our intended outcomes for these campaigns are:

1. For workers in the South Asian immigrant community to empower themselves through obtaining information about their rights;
2. To organize workers through collective action to understand that they are not isolated in their experiences;
3. To advocate for concrete policy changes that address workers’ rights;
4. To outreach to new workers and provide information, support and resources. 

VICTORIES

As described more specifically in the “Member Stories” link, many of the legal actions pursued by our members have successfully resulted in payment of back pay and damages.

In addition, as part of these campaigns, we urged New York City Council members to enact legislation guaranteeing fair labor contracts to domestic workers. In fact, one of our biggest victories in 2003 has been the passage of our Bill in City Hall demanding a standard contract for domestic workers. Andolan was one of the founding members of the Domestic Workers United Coalition that organized the campaign. The Bill passed in early June, and was the result of advocacy and organizing efforts aimed at legislators including a large demonstration in October of 2002 where hundreds of domestic workers marched on City Hall. The Bill requires that employers and agencies provide domestic workers with a standard contract that guarantees minimum wage laws, health insurance, regular working hours, overtime pay, and enforces other basic labor standards. There is still work to be done to ensure that this bill is implemented and enforced such as campaigning for strong monitoring and recourse in cases of violation of the laws set forth. Most of the enforcement measures in the bill are for agencies that place domestic workers. Given that most of Andolan’s members find work through informal community mechanisms, we are currently developing ways to make this important legislation meaningful to the realities of the community in which we work.