Domestic workers are the foundation of this nation, it is through their tireless work that keeps businesses and communities functioning. However, they are among the least protected when it comes to receiving benefits and having the right to paid sick leave. Fortunately, there are organizations such as Care In Action who are dedicated to fighting for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. According to their site, Care in Action is backed by tens of thousands of nannies, house cleaners, and care workers across the country. Recently we spoke with Micah Flucker from Care In Action about their organization’s efforts to be a voice for domestic workers.

They discussed the virtual meeting this past Saturday. “Over the weekend the organization held a celebration of the Virginia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights being passed,” said Flucker. “This event was to discuss the wins that we had during the legislative session. It was so productive in that we were finally able to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (one of the first southern states to do so), and we wanted to share it with our supporters. We were able to discuss the wonderful work that was done and the legislators who made it possible, such as Delegate (Elizabeth) Guzman. We got to hear from domestic workers, even as they were working. They were very excited to see this happen.”

Regarding the structure of the organization, Flucker describes it as one of inclusion. “It’s non-partisan and it ensures that domestic workers are treated with dignity. Virginia is first for businesses and last for domestic workers because they don’t have many of the protections that others have in the commonwealth. We advocate for domestic workers in the political sphere, and we support candidates who have that on their campaign. We work to see how we can make their lives better.”

It was for those reasons that the organization is for supporting Senator Jennifer McClellan in her run for Governor. “We’re so excited to support (Senator) McClellan,” said Flucker. “She’s a strong voice for domestic workers.”

“We have a robust phoning program of women of color that live in VA that now makes thousands of calls a day into communities of color in key areas in the commonwealth. We want to make sure these voters know that the primary is coming up. We have made over 100,000 voter contacts, targeting women of color voters, and informing them about the candidacy.”

According to statistics, women make up 52% of the domestic workforce, but 40% of them were unemployed as of January 2021. What should be done to get them back to working again? “One of the actions is elect a leader that can put them to work, and do it safely. The number one thing we can do is elect Jennifer McClellan because she’s so supportive of domestic workers and put them back into the workforce.”

Flucker discussed ceremony that the organization held honoring Black women in Charleston, South Carolina in a mural done by Janeva Tyree. “Domestic workers can feel so isolated, and you can’t tell if that home is a working area. It was so important to break the isolation by celebrating the work that they do, so that was really the thought process that was popping up, and it was just so exciting to see the work of local artists and celebrate those domestic workers.”

What’s next for the organization? “Some of the actions will be on the grassroots level, and that they even know about the democratic primary,” said Flucker. “The number one thing we are focusing on is community engagement and getting them involved; we’re just preparing people to be ready to vote.”

Flucker is proud of the work that’s being done because it not only reaches out to a diverse community, but those who are making the calls also women of color. “We’ve been very proactive in this community because even our phone bank program are women of color and it’s so great to have people who are immigrants reach out to other Latinx communities to connect with them on this level.”

“We think that in order to engage with the community, the organization can reflect your community. So that is mainly what we’ve done.”

For more information on Care In Action and how to get involved, visit their website or on their Twitter page.