ABOUT US

Andolan (Organizing South Asian Workers) is a not-for-profit, membership-based group that organizes and advocates on behalf of low-wage, immigrant South Asian workers. Andolan was founded in 1998 by low-income South Asian workers. These workers are primarily domestic service workers as well as workers in restaurants and retail stores, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Thousands of such workers enter the United States yearly to work for diplomats and private citizens who reside in the New York City area. The types of jobs done by low-wage South Asian workers often entail long hours and low pay without benefits. Exploitation and marginalization are common. Other problems faced by this group include sexual harassment on the job, domestic violence in their isolated familial lives, and immigration irregularities.

Andolan, which means "movement" in several South Asian languages, seeks to educate workers about their rights, persuade employers to pay a living wage and raise public awareness about abusive industry conditions. All Andolan members are low-wage workers and primarily women; many are undocumented.

Andolan is strongly committed to a vision where all workers are respected and able to realize their rights. Andolan’s goal is to support and empower working-class communities that face obstacles including language barriers, discrimination, and immigration status. Most of the members are employed as babysitters, housekeepers, and restaurant workers. In implementing its goals, Andolan prioritizes the central leadership of its members; Andolan strives to break a system of dependency so as to foster worker empowerment.

One of Andolan's principal strategies is to bring lawsuits against and public attention to abusive employers. Claims include violations of federal and state minimum wage laws, sexual harassment and abuse, assault and false imprisonment; successful cases have resulted in payment of back wages and other damages. Given the power disparity between the employer and worker, Andolan also organizes protests outside employers' home and workplaces to get response to specific grievances and to raise public awareness.

Andolan also has various campaigns in which we aim to reach out to workers directly in the community. We train current members to outreach to other low-wage South Asian workers in order to inform these other workers about their rights. Regardless of immigration status, workers have rights under both New York State and Federal laws.

We further strive to educate the community at large about worker’s rights through workshops, seminars, press conferences, and demonstrations.

Our target population is currently under-served by government agencies. Barriers such as language and citizenship, as well as increased fear and profiling after September 11, add a new urgency to Andolan’s work with community organizing and education for the South Asian immigrant community. 

Andolan is funded by the following foundations:

• Open Society Institute
• New York Women’s Foundation
• Jewish Fund for Justice
• Fund for the City of New York

Andolan was also a recipient of the Union Square Award in 2001.