Suburban sweatshops

In 1992, Jennifer Gordon founded the Workplace Project to help immigrant workers in the underground suburban economy of Long Island, New York. In a story of determination and hope, she weaves together Latino immigrant life and legal activism to tell the unexpected tale of how the most vulnerable workers in society came together to demand fair wages, safe working conditions, and respect from employers. Immigrant workers – many undocumented – won a series of remarkable victories, including a raise of 30 percent for day-laborers and a domestic workers’ bill of rights. In the process, they transformed themselves into effective political participants.