Transcript The Plight of Domestic Workers in the United States

The Plight of SelfEmployed Domestic
Workers in the
United States
 23% of domestic workers are paid
below their state’s minimum wage
70% are paid less that $13 per hour.
 the United States hourly pay
average is $24.17 as of December
2013
 67% percent of live-in workers are
paid below their state’s minimum
wage and are paid an average of
$6.15 per hour
National Labor Relations Act
 Passed in 1935
 Protects workers’ rights to band
collectively and form unions
 Restricts these rights to any
individual employed in the domestic
service of any family or person’s
home
Fair Labor Standards Act
 Passed in 1938
 Establishes right to earn federal
minimum wage and overtime
compensation
 Does not specify whether domestic
workers are included or not
 Leads to exploitation
The Beginning of Advocacy
 New York late 1990s
 the Women’s Worker Project of the Committee
Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) and Andolan
banded together to form Domestic Workers United
(DWU) in 2000
 expand their influence to Caribbean and Latin
domestic workers in New York
 entered the public policy arena in 2002
 pioneering force in the campaign for the New York
Bill of Rights
 gained support by reaching out both workers and a
cross section of groups ranging from social justice
organizations and unions to faith based communities
First Sign of Success
 New York Governor David Paterson signed the
first Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in the
United States into law.
 August 2010
 legislation providing household workers with
fundamental rights to overtime pay
comparable to other workers, protection
against workplace harassment, a weekly day
of rest, and three days paid time off
Subsequent Success
 Activists in California were inspired by New York’s
success
 In 2005 MUA, PWC, CHIRLA, and POWER formed the
California Household Worker Coalition
 attempted to pass an assembly bill in 2006, but it was
rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
 focused their legislative agenda to address only the
compensation of domestic workers in California
 September 26, 2013, California Governor, Jerry Brown,
signed the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights into law.
Moving Forward
The National Domestic Workers Alliance
(NDWA)
 The new name for Domestic Workers
United
 Director Ai-jen Poo
 Time 100 People of the year 2012
 In 11 states and 19 cities
 Actively advocating for legislation in
Massachusetts and Illinois
Massachusetts: The Facts
 67,000 domestic workers
 Amends Massachusetts state labor law
 Representative Michael J. Moran (D)
 Senator Anthony W. Petruccelli (D)
 83 co-sponsors
 Introduced on January 21, 2013
 January 30, 2014: House drafted new
version of the bill
Massachusetts: Advocacy
 Can sign petition on the National Domestic
Workers Alliance website
 Art exhibit July 2013: Invited legislators to
recognize workers and raise awareness
 100 workers attended hearing on November 12,
2013
 Spoke to Committee on Labor and Workforce
Development
 No one in attendance voiced opposition
Illinois: The Facts
 Introduced on February 15, 2013
 Senator Ira Silverstein (D)
 13 co-sponsors
 Includes minimum wage, overtime, days off,
advance notice of termination, uninterrupted
sleep, and use of kitchen facilities
 Has gone through two readings in the Senate
 Referred to Assignments on August 9 2013
Illinois: Advocacy
 Campaign led by Anna Jakubek of Arise
Chicago in alliance with the NDWA
 Workers Rights Workshops
 Hull-House museum exhibit
 Bolonado’s journal
Federal Legislation
 Alan Grayson (D)
 Representative from the 9th district of Florida
 amends the Fair Labor Standards act of 1938 and
proposes to increase the minimum wage to $10.50 an
hour
 Eliminates elderly care workers from exemption
 Introduced 23 March 2013
 Referred to Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
 19 co-sponsors
Federal Legislation
 Amendment to Fair Labor Standards Act
 Department of Labor act extends
minimum wage rights to home care
workers
 President Obama signed into law
September 19, 2013
 Goes into effect 1 January 2015
 Concerns about enforcement
Works Cited
Ameden, Danielle. “Framingham celebration to spotlight domestic workers.” Metro West Daily
News. 29 July 2013. Web. 21 February 2014.
Bapat, Sheila. “Finally, Domestic Workers Get Basic Labor Protections.” RH Reality Check. 18
September 2013. Web. 3 February 2014. <http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/09/18/finallydomestic-workers-get-basic-labor-protections/ >.
Burnham, Linda and Nik Theodore. “Home Economics: The Invisible and Unregulated World of
Domestic Work.” 2012. Web. 22 January 2014.
<http://www.domesticworkers.org/pdfs/HomeEconomicsEnglish.pdf>.
“Bill S.882.” The 188th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Web. 22 February 2014. <
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/Senate/S882>.
“Bill Status of SB1708.” Illinois General Assembly. Web. 22 February 2014. <
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1708&GAID=12&DocTypeID=SB&Se
ssionID=85&GA=98>.
Healy, Beth. “Domestic workers push for rights at State House.” The Boston Globe. 13 November 2013.
Web. 22 February 2014. < http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/11/13/domesticworkers-testify-state-house-hearing-for-bill-rights/OQcfI3dlKrEmvcf9k8EdDJ/story.html>.
Hoekstra, Dave. “Hull-House exhibit recalls the progress that began at home.” Chicago Sun-Times. 1
March 2013. Web. 21 February 2014. < http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/18497689421/hull-house-exhibit-recalls-the-progress-that-began-at-home.html>.
“H.R.1346 - Catching Up To 1968 Act of 2013.” Congress.gov: United States Legislative Information.
Web. 19 February 2014. <http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/housebill/1346?q={%22search%22%3A[%22hr+1346%22]}>.
Works Cited (Continued)
Liss-Schultz, Nina. “Charts: 4 Reasons Why the White House's Domestic-Worker Protections
Matter.” Mother Jones. 27 September 2014. Web. 22 February 2014.
<http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/09/federal-ruling-domestic-workersprotection-charts>.
“Massachusetts Bill of Rights.” National Domestic Workers Alliance. Web. 22 February 2014. <
http://www.domesticworkers.org/mass-bill-of-rights>.
“Minimum wage, overtime protections extended to direct care workers by US Labor
Department”. United States Department of Labor. 17 September 2013. Web. 19
February 2014. <http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20131922.htm>.
Paris, Adriana M. “Women Meet the State: Protection of Domestic Workers in the United
States”. Florida Journal of International Law. 1 April 2012: 214-233. Web. 31 January
2014.
“Poverty Thresholds”. United States Census Bureau. 28
January 2014. Web. 1 February 2014.
<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/>.
Schoenberg, Shira. “Massachusetts nannies, housecleaners, domestic workers visit State House
in Boston to push for 'bill of rights'.” Mass Live. 12 November 2013. Web. 21 February
2014. <
http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/11/massachusetts_domestic_workers.
html>.
Seville, Marci and Hina Shah. “Domestic Worker Organizing: Building a Contemporary Movement
for Dignity and Power”. Albany Law Review. 1 November 2011: 413-447. Web. 31 January 2014.
<http://ucelinks.cdlib.org:8888/sfx_local?genre=article&issn=00024678&title=Albany+Law+Revie
w&volume=75&issue=1&date=20111101&atitle=DOMESTIC+WORKER+ORGANIZING%3a+BUILDIN
G+A+CONTEMPORARY+MOVEMENT+FOR+DIGNITY+AND+POWER.&spage=413&sid=EBSCO:a9h
&pid=>.
Works Cited (Continued)
Steinem, Gloria. “Ai-jen Poo: Labor Organizer.” Time 100. 18
April 2012. Web. 21 February 2014.
Szawelicz, Kamil. “Anna Jakubek: Domestic Workers Need Bill
of Rights.” Chicago Talks. 2 July 2013. Web. 21
February 2014. <
http://www.chicagotalks.org/?p=36293>.
“Wage and Hour Division.” United States Department of
Labor. Web. 1 February 2014.
<http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Calif
ornia>.