Get Involved with Worker’s Defense Project
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Mission: Workers Defense Project / Proyecto Defensa Laboral (PDL) is a membership-based organization that empowers Latina/o immigrant workers to act collectively for racial and economic justice in the workplace through leadership development, education, organizing and collaborating with strategic allies.
What We Do: Workers Defense Project empowers working people to improve their living and working conditions by:
- Ensuring immigrant workers rights to receive minimum and overtime are protected.
- Working for equal access to workers compensation
- Educating immigrants about their employment rights
- Improving Public Policy to Protect All Workers
- Developing immigrant workers skills to find better employment opportunities
Achievements:
- Recovered over $500,000 in back wages for hundreds immigrant workers who have experienced wage theft
- Successfully defended day laborers’ right to seek work by defeating a proposed Austin anti-solicitation ordinance that would have criminalized day laborers seeking work in public
- Educated thousands of Latina/o immigrant workers about their workers rights & how to defend them
- Co-founded the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition that successfully mobilized thousands for just immigration reform
- Appointed to serve on the National Day Labor Organizing Network (NDLON) board of directors
We Need a Permanent Home:
Workers Defense Project is looking for a permanent space for the organization’s office and large worker meetings and classes. For the past six years our worker meetings and offices have been in separate locations. A larger and low-cost space would greatly allow us to expand our program work, servicing more people and strengthen our membership.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering with PDL is a rewarding experience. Not only will you help Latina/o immigrant workers and their families defend their workers rights but you will also help build a more racially and economically just society. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn about PDL’s popular education approach to social change. Possible volunteer opportunities may include office admin support, day labor organizing, fundraising, tech support, translation, ESL instructor, and education and outreach, among others. Each volunteer job is equally important in helping achieve justice for immigrant workers.
Volunteer orientations are monthly. If you’re interested in attending our next orientation on Thursday October 30th please go to the get involved section of our website and fill out the required form. We will get back to you within a week with more information about our volunteer orientation.
For more information e-mail info@workersdefense.org
