Domestic Workers are nannies, elderly companions, and housekeepers. The vast majority are immigrant women of color. Without the work of domestic workers the economy would grind to a halt. Domestic workers support their families and enable many sectors of professionals to work and have leisure time. Yet, the workforce is among the most vulnerable, suffering some of the most egregious abuses faced by any workforce. Domestic workers migrate in search of means to support their families and alternatives to the poverty faced by nations of the global South. Due to ongoing racial and gender inequality in the labor market, linked to the history of slavery, domestic workers remain excluded—by law—from almost all labor protections.

CA and NY Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights

In California and NY coalitions of domestic worker organizations are fighting for a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, statewide legislative proposals put forward by domestic workers for domestic workers, that would provide recognition as a real workforce and a set of basic protections based on the unique conditions facing domestic workers working in the private home.
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Regulatory Reforms at the US Department of Labor

The National Domestic Worker Alliance is collectively organizing to demand basic protection under US federal labor law. Over the past century, the United States has improved federal labor standards in order to guarantee that all workers are paid fair wages; able to work under safe and healthy conditions; protected from discriminatory and abusive treatment; and equipped with the right to engage in collective bargaining. However, domestic workers consistently have been excluded from these most basic workplace protections. The U.S. Department of Labor has the opportunity to bring domestic workers out of the shadows and under the protection of meaningful, enforceable workplace regulations. We are asking the Department of Labor to reform regulations to 1) Require employers to keep records of hours worked by live-in workers, 2) Ensure adequate room and board for live-in workers and set a maximum amount that can be deducted from pay, 3) Compensate live-in workers when they are asked to be responsible for their charge(s) during their sleep hours, and 4) Create a Domestic Work Bureau within the DOL.

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International Labor Organization Decent Worker for Domestic Workers Convention

The ILO is the organization that sets standards on international labor rights, and monitors how they are implemented. In June 2010 and 2011, the ILO will debate and adopt an international standard setting out the rights of domestic workers. The National Domestic Worker Alliance is organizing with domestic workers around the world to win a strong ILO Convention with the standards and protections this workforce so desperately needs.

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