Sunset Park home to growing labor movement

August 28, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

SUNSET PARK — STUDIES SHOW THAT THE WESTERN BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD of Sunset Park is home to one of the highest concentrations of labor cooperatives in the country, according to Labor Notes. The labor movement’s stronghold in Brooklyn has expanded to the neighborhood’s undocumented communities, notably immigrants from Mexico, Central America and East Asia. These co-ops, initiated by the Center for Family Life, allow members to become business owners rather than employees, bypassing the need for work authorization. The co-ops offer a fair wage, autonomy over schedules and protection against abusive work conditions. Since 2006, 22 co-ops have been formed, creating jobs for 450 people, mostly immigrant women. However, challenges remain, such as providing health insurance and navigating economic downturns.

“I was previously making $40 a day for 12 hours of work,” Marjuri Aburto Peralta, a Sunset Park housekeeper originally from Nicaragua and member of the Brightly Coop, told Labor Notes. “I feel stable in this country because of the cooperative.” Co-ops are a business system in which employees have an equal say over decision-making.

✰✰✰