2
paid low wages and get little respect or prestige for working in this kind of profession
(Rollins 1985, Romero 1992).
Since the women
2
who dominate this profession are marginalized in various ways
in the United States, discussions on their ability to organize have been skeptical and often
ignored. Not only are women in this job paid low wages, but they work long hours, are
required to perform physically demanding tasks, they often have to live with their
employer thus experiencing isolation from their community and the outside world. In
order to address their exploitation, domestic workers associations have proposed various
changes to the profession of domestic work. They want rights as employees in the U.S.
and want dignity and respect as individuals, they don’t want to be ignored or humiliated,
they want a fair and dignified salary, equal rights, an end to sexual harassment, adequate
breaks and work schedules, no leftover food, sick days, paid vacations, medical benefits,
employer paid social security, no more threats and discrimination of workers without
papers and to be recognized as professionals by society (Hondagneu-Sotelo 2000).
In this paper, I will be focusing on various strategies these women use to change
their position and the structure of this occupation, one that has been traditionally
exploitative towards women, especially those who are immigrants. I will be begin by
reviewing various challenges involved with organizing women in this profession and will
argue that despite these barriers presented, domestic workers do use their agency to
improve their work situation. Three methods of organizing will be discussed, the
formation of non-traditional labor unions, cooperative organizing, and social networking.
In addition, new developments that are arising in organizing domestic work, such as
transnational organizations that link one group across the globe will be explored.
2
Since women dominate the occupation of domestic work, this paper will focus only on this group.
Convention