{"id":582077,"date":"2023-07-09T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-09T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/domestic-workers-are-organizing-for-better-working-conditions-nationwide\/"},"modified":"2023-07-09T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-09T16:00:00","slug":"domestic-workers-are-organizing-for-better-working-conditions-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/domestic-workers-are-organizing-for-better-working-conditions-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"#Domestic workers are organizing for better working conditions nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aa2ec379b6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3aa2ec379b6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/domestic-workers-are-organizing-for-better-working-conditions-nationwide\/#Millions_of_workers_face_pay_gap\" >Millions of workers face pay gap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/domestic-workers-are-organizing-for-better-working-conditions-nationwide\/#Labor_law_exclusions_for_domestic_workers\" >Labor law exclusions for domestic workers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/illo_labor_VM-AP-Getty.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Domestic workers throughout the country are pushing for better working conditions, staging rallies\u00a0and\u00a0protests and lobbying for labor protections.<\/p>\n<p>The workers, including nannies, house cleaners and home care workers, have launched campaigns in places including Miami, where two organizations led a\u00a0mid-June\u00a0march\u00a0calling for a \u201cDomestic Workers\u2019 Bill of Rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>That same week,\u00a0workers\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/jobs\/labor\/domestic-workers-nanny-housecleaner-rittenhouse-philadelphia-20230614.html\">rallied in Philadelphia\u2019s Rittenhouse Square<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a tony area with well-staffed homes \u2014 as legislators from California to Rhode Island considered bills strengthening the labor rights of domestic workers.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights has been a centerpiece of the push for better working conditions for<strong> <\/strong>nearly\u00a0two decades, ever since activist Ai-jen Poo envisioned the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) around the concept.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 2007,\u00a0it\u00a0has grown into a national advocacy organization.\u00a0In April,\u00a0it co-hosted the Care Workers Can\u2019t Wait Summit in Washington, D.C.,\u00a0along with major labor and political organizations SEIU; AFL-CIO; the American Federation of Teachers; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Community Change; MomsRising; Care in Action; and Care Can\u2019t Wait.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really the first time that you have domestic workers, home\u00a0care, child\u00a0care, early educators, nursing home workers all together to say, \u2018Our jobs are the jobs of the future. Our work is here to stay,&#8217;\u201d Poo told The Hill in a recent interview.<\/p>\n<p>Though specific legislative proposals vary from state to state and city to city, the main thrust of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is to remove labor law exclusions implemented for domestic workers starting in the New Deal era.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition with care workers outside the home is a strategic move for domestic workers;\u00a0implementing the bill of rights has been a challenge even in jurisdictions that have enshrined it into law.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Philadelphia, for instance, passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2020, but according to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, 44 percent of workers surveyed by NDWA said their employers had violated provisions of the bill.<\/p>\n<p>A national bill, first introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in 2019, would guarantee sick leave, require written contracts, implement meal and rest breaks, establish protections against workplace harassment and protect workers from losing pay due to last-minute cancellations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to pass legislation. We need to be able to invest in this workforce. We need to be able to train, add to and provide rights on the job,\u201d Jayapal said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI have the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which also for the first time would provide the same protections to domestic workers that other workers get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Republican control of the House, it\u2019s unlikely the bill will get a vote.\u00a0But Jayapal lauded President Biden for an\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2023\/04\/18\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-most-sweeping-set-of-executive-actions-to-improve-care-in-history\/\">April executive order<\/a>\u00a0that expanded access to grants to make care services more affordable and directed the Department of Labor to publish a sample employment agreement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea that the Department of Labor and the federal government will say, \u2018Actually, this is a job that should have a contract and an agreement, the work agreement should be clear like any other job in America,\u2019 is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> changer,\u201d Poo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cBecause if you are a domestic worker, and you are in a one-to-one relationship with your employer, you really don\u2019t have negotiating power.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Millions_of_workers_face_pay_gap\"><\/span>Millions of workers face pay gap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>According to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epi.org\/publication\/domestic-workers-chartbook-2022\/#chart1\">a 2022 study<\/a>\u00a0by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), domestic workers face a 25 percent pay gap:\u00a0\u201cThe average domestic worker is paid 75 cents for every dollar that a similar worker would make in another occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study identified 2.2 million domestic workers in 2021, though researchers wrote it is \u201chighly likely\u201d that figure is a significant undercount, since many workers are paid \u201cunder the table,\u201d and a significant number are undocumented immigrants, who are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly underrepresented in surveys.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>In that population, the EPI identified 304,557 house cleaners, 211,675 nannies, 239,942 child care workers who tend to children in their own home, 148,897 nonagency home care aides, and 1,253,899 agency-based home care aides.<\/p>\n<p>The poverty rate among domestic workers generally is 8.5 percentage points higher than the poverty rate among similar workers in other industries, and the twice-poverty rate \u2014 workers whose family income is below twice the official poverty line \u2014 is 17.8 percentage points higher, according to the EPI.<\/p>\n<p>The twice-poverty rate is often used by researchers as a cutoff to gauge whether a family has enough income to realistically make ends meet.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The economic portion of the study, which used data compiled between 2016 and 2018, also found large gaps in benefits compared to workers in other economic sectors.<\/p>\n<p>While 49 percent of workers analyzed in the study had employer-paid health insurance coverage, only 19 percent of domestic workers had coverage. Similarly, 33 percent of workers overall had some sort of employee provided retirement plan, compared to only 9 percent of domestic workers.<\/p>\n<p>Coverage rates were higher for agency-based home care aides \u2014 25 percent had health coverage and 13 percent retirement benefits \u2014 but still significantly lower than the national average.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Labor_law_exclusions_for_domestic_workers\"><\/span>Labor law exclusions for domestic workers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Those working\u00a0directly for domestic employers are often left to their own devices to negotiate their working conditions.<\/p>\n<p>That unique relationship was at the heart of creating labor law exclusions for domestic workers in the first place, but workers and advocates say those exclusions have led to abuses from wage theft to workdays with no set start or end time and no formal breaks.<\/p>\n<p>Those abuses often go unreported or unpunished for a variety of reasons, including fear of reprisals, and in many cases undocumented workers\u2019 fear of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaching authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Employers of domestic workers are also AWOL in public discussions of the topic.\u00a0At a Rhode Island House Labor Committee hearing on the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights earlier this year, no employers or employees in the field showed up to testify,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.providencejournal.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2023\/05\/01\/should-the-maid-nanny-butler-and-other-household-help-get-minimum-wage-vote-ahead\/70167861007\/\">reported the Providence Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, at a California Senate floor debate on the state\u2019s version of the bill, California state Sen. Mar\u00eda Elena Durazo (D), the lead sponsor of the bill, said employers largely support the proposal because it\u2019s been molded to the unique needs of the industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what the domestic workers are looking for. It\u2019s, \u2018Fix the problem,\u2019 it\u2019s not a, \u2018Hey I gotcha,&#8217;\u201d Durazo said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proof is in the pudding that they\u2019ve spent several years coming up with what are rational types of guidelines, and that\u2019s why employers are so supportive \u2014 household employers are so supportive because they see that it makes sense. When you have safer homes,\u00a0it\u2019s safer for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Opposition to the legislation, however muted, rests on the challenges of policing labor laws in private domiciles.<\/p>\n<p>California state Sen. Brian Dahle (R), who in 2022 mounted a shoestring campaign to unseat Gov. Gavin <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a>om (D), compared the bill\u2019s provisions to Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations applicable in a commercial or industrial worksite.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would think this bill would actually deter people from having those people do those services because of the liability in your own home,\u201d Dahle said during a short-lived California Senate floor debate.<\/p>\n<p>The bill cleared the Senate 24-8 on a largely party-line vote and is now under consideration by the California Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>The broader legislative push is emboldening some domestic workers to participate in protests like the ones\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telemundo62.com\/noticias\/local\/alzan-la-voz-las-trabajadoras-domesticas-en-busca-de-mejore-condiciones-laborales\/2316383\/\">in Philadelphia<\/a> and Miami, breaking from the traditional silence enveloping their industry.<\/p>\n<p>And the alliance with the broader out-of-home care field is helping domestic workers find a model structure to engage employers and legislators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen workers see other workers organizing and they see a powerful movement like this, that has built in size, in depth, in relationship and in power to elected officials, you think about all the states that states and cities that have passed domestic workers bills of rights, that is all a testament to the power of the people who are organizing,\u201d Jayapal said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPowerful organizing begets more powerful organizing, and it\u2019ll continue to grow because other workers will say, \u2018Wait a second, we deserve this too. We deserve rights on the job, we deserve good pay, we deserve union jobs.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/business\/4085198-domestic-workers-organizing-better-conditions-nationwide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Domestic workers throughout the country are pushing for better working conditions, staging rallies\u00a0and\u00a0protests and lobbying for labor protections. The workers, including nannies, house cleaners and home care workers, have launched campaigns in places including Miami, where two organizations led a\u00a0mid-June\u00a0march\u00a0calling for a \u201cDomestic Workers\u2019 Bill of Rights.\u201d That same week,\u00a0workers\u00a0rallied in Philadelphia\u2019s Rittenhouse Square\u00a0\u2014 a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":582078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/illo_labor_VM-AP-Getty.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[144385,134417,134343,144386,90482,144387,115,134354,70289,144388],"class_list":["post-582077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ai-jen-poo","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-campaign","tag-domestic-labor","tag-house","tag-labor-law","tag-news","tag-nexstar-media-wire-news","tag-senate","tag-working-conditions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=582077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/582078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=582077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=582077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=582077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}