Reaction from Care in Action, National Domestic Workers Alliance and Caring Across Generations
WASHINGTON, DC—President-elect Joe Biden outlined a coronavirus pandemic relief package yesterday to quickly ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations and distribute additional financial assistance for struggling families and businesses. The emergency relief package will also prioritize keeping essential workers on the job and includes measures signaling how vital support for parents and caregivers are to our nation’s economic recovery.
In response, Jess Morales Rocketto of Care in Action and Ai-jen Poo of Care in Action, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Caring Across Generations released this statement:
“When women of color, domestic workers, and caregivers organized our communities during a raging pandemic, we knew what was possible — together, we showed up because we need urgent action to ensure working families recover from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, Executive Director of Care in Action. “Biden’s relief plan is absolutely a first step in our road to recovery. But it will take more to realize our vision — there is no true economic recovery without immigrant inclusion in COVID-emergency relief and legalization of essential workers. And we must demand a package that’s inclusive for all to turn our economy into a caring one.”
“Our caregiver-in-chief-to-be is already showing us what it looks like to care for our families and communities. Additional financial assistance will ensure that many domestic workers, family caregivers, and their loved ones won’t have to choose between keeping the heat on or paying for essential medications. Investing in keeping care facilities safe will reassure many family caregivers and protect care workers from risking their lives. But these are just the first steps in what will be a long road toward recovery, a road that must continue to invest in and support our caregivers, ” said Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, director of Caring Across Generations, and senior advisor of Care in Action. “We are clear on our vision: We are ready to heal from a devastating year that left many families behind. And we cannot do it if we are not building for a country that gives everyone the care and protection they deserve. We deserve the most inclusive relief package possible, with the utmost urgency.”
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Care in Action is the policy and advocacy home for women who care, working on behalf of more than two million domestic workers and care workers across America. Among the fastest-growing sectors in our economy, domestic workers are also among the most vulnerable and undervalued. As a mostly women and majority women of color workforce, this growing constituency consistently and overwhelmingly supports progressive values in American political life. Learn more at www.careinaction.us.
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 60 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 proposing a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights with Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.
Caring Across Generations is a national movement of families, caregivers, people with disabilities, and aging Americans working to transform the way we care in this country. By harnessing the power of online and grassroots organizing and culture change work, we are shifting how our nation values caregiving and calling for policy solutions that enable all of us to live well and age with dignity. For more information, please visit http://caringacross.org.