Domestic Workers Score Victory in New York

The New York State senate has been a bit mired in controversy lately, as frequently pointed out by my favorite New York Times columnist, the always witty Gail Collins. But while there may be myriad reasons to be annoyed with the Empire State's legislature, we can all be proud of their recent decision to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Groups like Domestic Workers United and the National Domestic Workers Alliance have been lobbying for this bill for years, which would protect a workforce largely comprised of women, immigrants, and trafficking victims. Last week, the New York coalitions finally scored a victory. The bill ensures a number of protections for the largely underappreciated and often mistreated workers: the guarantee of one day off per week, paid vacations, sick days, overtime pay, and advance warning of termination — you know, the basics many office workers take for granted every day. Domestic workers will also be granted the opportunity for legal recourse if and when their rights are violated.

That said, we still have a ways to go. Governor David Patterson still has to sign the bill, and even then, domestic workers will still be excluded from the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and face abusive situations as their work is particularly isolated.

Securing civil rights within employment law and maintaining support for domestic workers aren't problems limited to the United States. Even in the most supposedly advanced nations, domestic employees can face conditions similar to trafficking, owing to the fees paid to opportunistic brokers for relocation assistance, and are encouraged to exploit government loopholes to move across borders.

Domestic work is backbreaking and often soul-crushing, and I say this having had great-grandparents cared for by a live-in assistant. Lila was incredibly dedicated to my grandparents, no matter how nasty they got with her, and perhaps in part because she was independent and not employed by an agency, it fell to her to make sure she was paid well and treated fairly. She knew how to hold her own, but her own physical limitations and aged appearance were well beyond what would have been considered "normal" for a woman her age. The work is hard; no question about it. Add immigration to the equation — though to be clear, Lila was a poor white woman from West Virginia, where my grandparents also lived — and combined with the probability of abuse and labor law violations, these things are bound to get complicated very quickly.

You might not live in an area where you think about domestic labor as part of the fabric of society, but I'd bet that there are more babysitters, housecleaners, and elderly care workers in your community than you imagine. They do work and perform services that few others can or will do, and it's about time we started legislating their protection. In California, the California Household Worker Rights Coalition is working on their own state legislation. You can sign this petition supporting the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in California or create one for your own state.

H/T Ms. Magazine blog

Photo Credit: Scott and Elaine van der Chij