Laundry Workers Center

Dignity and respect are a through line for the Laundry Workers Center, our nonprofit partner organizing food service, laundry, and warehouse workers to fight wage theft, unsafe housing, and workplace exploitation. Led by and serving low-wage immigrant workers, the Center brings into the labor movement communities that have long been excluded from organized labor.

Since launching in Downtown Manhattan in 2011, the Center has grown citywide and now runs programming in New Jersey as well. Over the past 14 years, the organization has served more than 3,000 workers across key sectors and helped recover over $23 million in stolen wages — a testament to the power of worker-led organizing.

Co-founders Mahoma Lopez and Rosanna Rodriguez explain that they started the group after seeing how laundromat workers, often low-income immigrants, had little representation in New York City’s political and economic landscape. While their organizing now spans multiple sectors, they’ve kept the original name—The Laundry Workers Center—to honor their roots.

Guided by the belief that their work ought to be “transformative, not transactional,” the Center focuses on systemic change driven by grassroots organizing. “Our mission is not solely to provide services,” say Lopez and Rodriguez, “but to focus on grassroots organizing for immigrant workers.”

They’ve built a model grounded in education, leadership development, and trust. In coalition with statewide partners, the Center was part of the successful Excluded Workers Fund campaign, which secured $2.1 billion in pandemic relief for New York workers left out of federal relief programs.

Through the Instituto La Cuadra Progresista (the Progressive Block Leadership Institute), the Center trains labor leaders in core organizing skills, including labor history, building community coalitions, centering gender equity, understanding health and safety laws, and tailoring strategies to specific campaigns. The workers are also trained to identify and neutralize employer tactics used to divide workers who have been organizing together.

Around 500 workers have graduated from the Institute, and in 2024, the Center launched a partnership with SUNY Empire State College to offer the program for credit — awarding joint certificates to the first graduating cohort of 16 workers.

Participants learn to advocate in their own communities and pass on those skills to others. This training model has built a strong volunteer network and fueled worker-led campaigns, and their organizing power has led to lasting change: five restaurant workers supported by the Center were able to adjust their legal status, and a group of construction workers formed one of the state’s first non-union health and safety committees under the NY HERO Act.

With support from Brooklyn Org, the Laundry Workers Center is continuing to expand its member-driven approach to worker justice. “We have a lot of good allies that support us,” Rodriguez explains, “and that’s why we believe a lot in solidarity.” The Center continues to build worker partnerships across New York City and see themselves as “a tool for workers to improve their conditions in the workplace.”

“With the support of Brooklyn Org, we’re going to expand our outreach to more areas in Brooklyn so we can provide information about workers’ rights, have one-on-one conversations, and see how we can support people to improve their conditions at work and in the community,” Rodriguez shared.

In response to shifting national policies around immigration, the Laundry Workers Center has deepened its immigrant-centered work. Volunteers now lead outreach efforts across New York City, connecting directly with workers in their own communities. They share information about rights, safety practices, and resources – often meeting workers where they are, between shifts or on breaks. This peer-led approach builds trust and ensures the work is rooted in the lived experiences of the communities they organize for.

Looking forward, Laundry Workers Center plans to expand across Brooklyn, the five boroughs, and the Northeast. With support from Brooklyn Org, the Center will continue to develop its training programs, providing cutting-edge education to those in the labor movement. One area of growth is the Center’s training committee, which Lopez and Rodriguez hope will continue to develop workshops and training around issues like domestic violence and workplace harassment.

“Two years ago, the Laundry Workers Center supported a group of construction workers involved in demolition and cleaning, helping them win their campaign. The company they work for is based in Brooklyn, and this fall, their agreement is set to expire,” Lopez shared. Brooklyn Org’s support will help in the fight for workers to renew their agreement, allowing them to maintain fair wages and improved working conditions.

Labor organizing is not easy, Lopez and Rodriguez shared. Despite the challenges, the two shared that their work is also incredibly rewarding. The most rewarding aspect is “seeing the transformation of people from when they come in on the first day to when they are able to launch a campaign, getting a seat at the table to negotiate with an employer,” Rodriguez shared.

“Especially in our construction campaign, almost all of the members live in Brooklyn,” Rodriguez added. “Having support from Brooklyn Org means we can keep standing with them.”

By equipping workers with the tools necessary to fight for better conditions, The Laundry Workers Center continues to shape the labor landscape across NYC – one member at a time.

This story was written by Nash Riebe and Elana Nussbaum Cohen.