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Honoring and recognizing the life, work, and accomplishments of Mercedes Reyes, whose inspiring energy and insistence on creating safety, dignity, justice, and support for domestic workers in Philadelphia has protected and enriched the lives of people across the country.
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WHEREAS, Mercedes Reyes was born in El Salvador and began working as a domestic worker there when she was 11 years old, coming to Philadelphia during the El Salvador Civil War in 1988. She has since worked with children, cleaned homes, and lived-in with families doing domestic work, while caring for her large family; and
WHEREAS, While doing domestic work in Philadelphia, Mercedes has experienced significant abuse. She has been paid as little as $2 per hour during her 14 years as a live-in domestic worker; and
WHEREAS, She has faced wage theft, discrimination, total lack of health insurance or other supports - including suffering a slip-and-fall that put her in the hospital for 11 days without employer support; and
WHEREAS, Mercedes has been a community leader advocating across a number of issues, with particular focus on uplifting domestic workers and her neighborhood. She is a leader of the National Domestic Workers Alliance - Pennsylvania Chapter; and
WHEREAS, Mercedes was instrumental in the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in Philadelphia. She has spoken to dozens of elected officials, press, and provided testimony while organizing dozens of domestic workers into the movement; and
WHEREAS, The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights was an unprecedented accomplishment and set an example for cities across the country to follow in protecting low-wage workers. Mercedes has continued to work on improving protections to ensure the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is realized; and
WHEREAS, Community members gather in Mercedes' home for everything from living room know-your-rights training sessions to PPE distribution to sharing a safe space. People come in and out of Merc...
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