Labor organizer wins MacArthur “genius grant”

[Starry Messenger]

http://peoplesworld.org/labor-organizer-wins-macarthur-genius-grant/

Three cheers for Ai-jen Poo and labor!

"Labor organizer Ai-jen Poo joins 20 other artists, scholars, lawyers and human rights advocates in winning this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius grants." The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced on Wednesday the 2014 recipients, who will each receive $625,000 to spend any way they like.

The MacArthur Foundation writes:

Ai-jen Poo is a labor organizer whose compelling vision of the value of home-based care work is transforming the landscape of working conditions and labor standards for domestic or private-household workers. The estimated 1-2 million domestic workers-housekeepers, nannies, caregivers for the elderly or disabled-in the United States today are excluded from most federal and state labor laws, including collective bargaining; occupational safety and health protections; sick and vacation pay; and protection from discrimination and sexual harassment.

Combining a deep understanding of the complex tangle of human relations around domestic work with keen strategic skills, Poo has created a vibrant, worker-led labor movement and spearheaded successful legislative campaigns at the national and international levels. As lead organizer of the New York City-based Domestic Workers United (2000-2009), she spent countless hours in parks, buses, and other gathering places for domestic workers, creating opportunities for these largely isolated women to share their experiences, guiding mistreated workers to appropriate legal channels, articulating the vital economic role of domestic workers, and developing with workers a framework of legal standards for the industry. In 2010, New York enacted the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights-which entitles workers to overtime pay, one day of rest per week, protection from discrimination, and three days paid leave per year-after a hard-fought seven-year legislative campaign led by Poo and a dedicated group of workers and advocates. The bill also drew support from an unlikely coalition of domestic workers, their employers, and other unions forged by Poo's ability to leverage common interests across diverse groups."

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[merrily]

1. Yeeaaaayyyyyyy!