California Domestic Workers Rally for the Right to Sleep, Eat

Yesterday was International Domestic Workers Day, and you don't have to look very far to find hardworking domestic workers facing exploitation and in need of your support. In America, labor law excludes domestic workers from basic protections, like the right to sick days, overtime pay, or notice of termination. The nannies and nurses who take care of our children, our sick, our elderly should hold a respected position in our society -- in our families too -- but instead they're often underpaid and overworked. It's all up to the whim of the employer whether they're treated fairly.

But California domestic workers say: no more. Stephanie Hallett at Ms. Magazine's blog reports that a rally yesterday called for the passage of a state bill that could change all this for them: a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. This move has precedent in New York's decision last year to pass their own DWBOR, which came about after years of effort by organizations like like Domestic Workers United and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, who are also involved in the California push.

The vast majority of domestic workers are women, primarily immigrants and minorities, who often suffer sexual harassment and violence. This shouldn't be an accepted job hazard, but currently workers have no legal recourse when such violations occur, another deficiency the bill of rights introduced by CA assembly member Tom Ammiano would address.

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that it would be immigrant women of color workers who get the short end of the stick when it comes to incredibly basic labor protections, like the right to sleep. Wait, sleep? Yes, that's right. Caretakers on 24-hour duty for ill individuals often cannot even get a night's sleep, must less take a sick or vacation day. The California bill would require that live-in employees receive at least five hours sleep per night. This is hardly a generous amount of time (I, for one, don't function properly and am decidedly unpleasant to be around on only five hours of shut-eye).

Another simple but important provision specific to live-in workers: the right to cook their own food. That's right: employers will expect them to feed their patients, who might have limited or unusual diets, but refuse these workers kitchen privileges to whip themselves up something more appealing. It's downright disturbing that some callous employers treat those working for them with so little respect or consideration, and high time for the state to issue protections against these exploiters.

Support the efforts by the National Domestic Workers Alliance and CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, by telling the California legislature that it's time to pass a new bill of rights.

Photo credit: philcampbell