Our Mission

NDLON improves the lives of day laborers, migrants and low-wage workers. We build leadership and power among those facing injustice so they can challenge inequality and expand labor, civil and political rights for all.

Our Vision

NDLON aspires to live in a world of diverse communities where day laborers live with full rights and responsibilities in an environment of mutual respect, peace, harmony and justice.

Our Principles & Values

1. Peace & Nonviolence

NDLON and its member organizations are practitioners of the nonviolence teachings. Our movement for social justice follows in the footsteps of other great civil and human rights leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Oscar Romero, and Rosa Parks, and Cesar Chavez. We believe that nonviolent confrontation and peaceful resistance are legitimate and effective means for achieving social change and justice. More than a tactic, we embrace peace and nonviolence as a way of life.

2. Diversity

Day laborers come from different countries, as well as racial and ethnic groups, and it is in this diversity where we find a main source of our strength as a national network. Our work is inclusive and respectful of every segment represented in the day labor community and in society at large. NDLON is committed to combating racism, xenophobia, classism, and sexism wherever and whenever these pernicious practices and perceptions exist. We work to ensure diversity in our community and unity in our diversity.

3. Democracy

We are committed to the active participation of member organizations in the decision-making processes of NDLON. We believe in the practice of collective decision-making in which day laborers, organizers, and staff engage in a dynamic dialogue with the purpose of building consensus. The process of achieving consensus relies on ongoing consultation to ensure that day laborers and immigrant workers have a voice in decision-making. When consensus cannot be reached, we resort to a majority vote while addressing the concerns of the minority.

4. Solidarity

We believe that solidarity begins with the giving of oneself without the expectation of personal gain. Solidarity helps to strip oneself of the features and drawbacks of individualism. It entails sharing who we are and what we have with our colleagues and the people we work with. It is a shared commitment to improving our daily lives, and to helping each other acquire new abilities and deepen our social consciousness.

5. Spirit of Service

Our work requires us to be available at all times for the development and growth of day laborers, organizers and our organizations. This means that our disposition, individually and collectively, is oriented towards serving – selflessly and without the expectation of personal gain. This mutual caring creates chains of loyalty and unity which are our organizations’ strength.

6. Loyalty

NDLON strives to be true to the aspirations, interests, and demands of the day laborer community. This requires us to refrain from taking any actions in the name of day laborers without consulting and taking direction from our base of member organizations.

7. Integrity

In our work we strive to optimize our resources, administering them in a judicious, transparent and accountable manner. Equally, at all times we try to speak our minds with clarity and without deception.

8. Firm Convictions

We are clear about the legitimacy of our cause and struggle. We believe in what we do and have faith in the day laborer community and its ability to be a collective force for social change. We appreciate efforts of our friends and allies, but the sources of our strength come from within.

9. Discipline

Our struggle for justice and a more humane society demands from our organizations’ high levels of discipline. Individually, our day laborer leaders, organizers and executive directors strive to work hard and persevere, despite adverse conditions and obstacles that might block our path. Compliance with this code is rooted in collective responsibility and reciprocity, not coercion.

10. Collective and Self-Critique

Individual and collective growth benefits from a firm, yet constructive, process of cooperative inquiry and self-criticism. In order to respond to the daily challenges we face, member organizations and leaders must constantly evaluate their practice in light of their principles.

11. Gender Equality

We deeply believe in gender equality. The success of our struggle is predicated on the participation of women and men, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. We work towards the social reconstruction of gender relations based on the principles of justice, equality and participation.

12. Adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

NDLON is committed to protecting and promoting the labor, civil and human rights of day laborers, regardless of national origin or immigration status. NDLON adheres to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that every person has the right to life, work and liberty.

13. Commitment to Green Values and Practices

NDLON is committed to environmental principles that allow us protect the environment and reduce our environmental footprint. This principle is grounded in the Native American philosophy that teaches us to work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. More than a program to promote reduce, reuse, and recycle techniques, NDLON seeks to set higher standards for how nonprofit organizations can achieve greater harmony with our natural environment.