‘We are human beings and we deserve respect.’ Philly workers hold a summit to advocate for their rights

Adriana Barrera just wanted a water break.

For 10 years, she went from her home in South Philly to work the evening shift as an office cleaner in Center City. She always felt like she and other immigrants working for Allan Industries were being exploited, she said, receiving demanding tasks to complete in just a four-hour shift, not even allowed a minute to sit and drink water. Barrera, who only speaks Spanish, said she was never told what her employment contract stipulated, but was encouraged by her employer to just sign it quickly.

In 2022, Barrera got connected with the Philadelphia chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), an advocacy organization that fights for workers’ rights. As she learned more about what she and other workers were entitled to, like a minimum 10-minute break, she realized just how poorly she’d been treated. She pushed back against her bosses, and told other employees about what she’d learned.

But it didn’t help, she said.

“When I tried to [advocate] for my rights, [my boss] told me that the door was wide open and that I could leave anytime,” she said through an interpreter.

» READ MORE: Philly’s Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights protects those working in homes

Barrera believes she was subjected to unusually strict inspection grades as retaliation, and eventually left Allan Industries after a tense confrontation with a supervisor.

Allan Industries is a New Jersey-based janitorial services provider specializing in commercial office space, with over 3,500 employees working across the country.

“We always strive to treat all of our employees with respect,” said Amber DeRidder, vice president and general manager of Allan Industries, in response to Barrera’s allegations. “If there’s ever any issues, employees can go to [their] union and put in a complaint, and we always strive to correct or deal with any issues. [The] same thing [will happen] if they report it to our HR department.”

Barrera said, “We’re not going to let ourselves be humiliated. We’re not going to let ourselves be trampled on and to be treated as if we aren’t worth it. We are human beings and we deserve respect.” She shared her story at last weekend’s Philly Workers Fight Back Summit, an event organized by the Philly NDWA, AFL-CIO, 215 People’s Alliance/El Comité de Trabajadores, Philly Black Worker Project, Community Legal Services (CLS), and the Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple Law School.

She was not the only one at the summit with a story to tell.

The summit brought workers from different sectors together at the First Unitarian Church to build solidarity and find common ground in their fight for rights. Through speeches and small group discussions, workers talked about the challenges they’ve faced, and shared strategies for storytelling and advocacy. Councilmember Kendra Brooks, Councilmember-elect Nicolas O’Rourke, and State Rep. Rick Krajewski also joined the summit.

“The biggest issues that workers are facing are things that are already illegal,” said Nicole Kligerman, the Pennsylvania chapter director of the NDWA. “It’s around wage theft, it’s around retaliation, it’s around the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights not being respected. So it’s not actually that we need new laws, it’s that we need our laws to work.”

According to a 2023 survey of over 200 Philadelphia domestic workers conducted by the NDWA, nearly half of respondents reported experiencing a violation of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, and roughly a quarter of respondents said they experienced wage theft and/or retaliation at work.

As labor unions across the country, representing a wide array of employment sectors, are in the middle of a renewed fight for workers’ rights, Kligerman said that the timing of the summit was intentional. Not only are they building on nationwide momentum for workers, but the organizations behind the summit are also hoping to capitalize on the results of Philly’s recent elections.

Kligerman said that in 2024, NDWA and its partners at CLS and the Sheller Center will introduce legislation that would establish full funding for the city’s Office of Worker Protections and improved enforcement mechanisms for protecting workers rights, sponsored by Councilmember Brooks. NDWA anticipates the support of Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, and spent time at the summit getting attendees on board with their campaign.

“Having multiracial, multilingual, multi-gender workers coming together, that’s how we win,” Kligerman said. “That is the unity that’s needed to actually make the paradigm shift.”

Ever since Barrera left her office-cleaning job two years ago, she’s struggled to find steady work. She does sporadic housecleaning as it comes in, but it’s just barely enough to continue supporting her husband and 14-year-old daughter.

But she’s still going to continue fighting for workers’ rights, no matter the challenges that come before her. She’s already testified to the Department of Labor about her contract never being presented in Spanish, leading to the department’s creation of sample agreements for domestic workers.

“I’m doing it not just for myself, but for everyone,” Barrera said.

“The more people speak up across sectors, the more that we’re going to keep employers accountable.”