Press Release: Councilmember Todd Introduces the “Domestic Workers Protection Act of 2019”

News Release — Ward 4 DC Council member Brandon Todd

September 17, 2019

CONTACT:

Eric Feldman

The Domestic Workers Act Would Grant Common Workplace Rights and Protections to Home Care Workers, Nannies, and House Cleaners; All Have Been Excluded from Basic Labor Protections

Washington, DC – Today, Councilmember Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4) introduced the “Domestic Workers Act of 2019” at the Council of the District of Columbia’s legislative meeting.

This bill would extend the District of Columbia’s labor and employment protections to domestic workers who perform work in and about private households in the District. The legislation would also provide community-based education, outreach, and enforcement of domestic workers’ labor and employment rights.

“Domestic workers do not have the same workplace rights that nearly all other Americans have, yet they work just as hard,” Councilmember Toddsaid. “They aren’t entitled to overtime pay or a minimum wage. They can’t get workers compensation if they’re injured on the job, or unemployment benefits if they’re fired. Unfortunately, Domestic workers are often afraid to speak up about wage theft, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions because they fear losing their jobs or being torn from their families by deportation. These are some of the lowest paid workers in the county. The least we can do is afford them the same rights as nearly all other workers.”

The District of Columbia’s Human Rights Act protects workers in the nation’s capital from discrimination and harassment based on race, gender or sexual orientation — with one notable exception – domestic workers. This clause has left 100,000 or so employees vulnerable to discrimination and without any sense of job security.

The legislation would provide concrete protections for domestic workers and create innovative solutions to long held problems many domestic workers face.

Specifically, the legislation ensures all domestic workers are covered by basic workers rights laws in the District and have a guaranteed minimum wage, overtime, and family medical leave. It also provides domestic workers with a “bill of rights” that include mandatory written contracts, rest periods, notice of termination, privacy requirements, and charges the Office of Human Rights and the Department of Employment Services (DOES) with creating a notice of rights for domestic workers. The legislation also creates a grant program to fund enforcement and education, establishes a Domestic Workers Standards Board, and a Division of Paid Care within DOES.

Montgomery County, MD, passed its own domestic workers law more than a decade ago, requiring employers to offer written contracts to housekeepers, nannies and others that include clearly defined terms for paid time off, salary and severance.

This bill was co-introduced with Councilmembers Grosso, Bonds, Nadeau, Cheh, and White.

###