Issue and Opposition: Although domestic workers such as nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers provide essential services, they often have to work under deplorable conditions. These include an absence of sick days, very low wages, missed wages, and more hours than the workers engaged in the formal economy. While there are detailed labor laws and regulations in the USA protecting workers, there were none for domestic workers. Hence, it is easy for employers to abuse the rights of this group of workers. With time, the working conditions of the domestic workers but back In 2012, the situation was far from perfect or equitable. Artist Marisa Jahn and her collaborators from REV-, a nonprofit for socially engaged art and design, and Domestic Workers United (an advocacy group for domestic workers) came up with a unique concept to educate domestic workers about their rights.
Dilemma Action: While they designed the bilingual public project (named Project NannyVan), they were aware of the fact that most domestic workers did not have internet access and would not be able to download any material if that was required. The advice had to be delivered in an audio format that the domestic workers could access by simply dialing a hotline number. Also because a host of artists were involved, it was meant to be creative and not mundane. Jahn and her collaborators decided to use humor in their art project to educate domestic workers and raise awareness of their current and potential employers. In 2010, New York passed a law to protect domestic workers. This law- the New York Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights- formed the source of information for the artists. The public project, named “New Day New Standard”, added a creative twist to it. The caller could choose from a collection of comedic sketches explaining the new legislation in a radio talk show format. Hosts Christine Lewis and “Miss Know-it-All” (played by voice actor Jen Cohn) answered questions from the domestic workers and the public. Apart from the legislation, the hosts explained sensitive issues concerning immigration, human trafficking, and slavery. The last piece was relevant because many domestic workers migrated as undocumented immigrants to seek employment in the US. It was easy to abuse these workers and coerce them because of their undocumented status. The format was designed to be easy and conversational with jokes and funny one-liners in multiple accents added in a good amount. The conversational tone and the diversity of accents made the hotline appealing to domestic migrant workers of various ethnicities and countries of origin. Popularized as the “nanny hotline”, this project was created with the help of MIT’s Center for Civic Media.
Outcome: According to news reports, in 2012, the nanny hotline received 400 to 1200 calls from domestic workers every month. The project reached out to New York’s estimated 200,000 domestic workers. The project was a great hit among the workers and received a lot of media attention from national and international media. The project creators anticipated push-backs from anti-immigration groups but relied on the project’s cultural angle to face lesser resistance.