Invisible to powerful: Domestic workers make history

Last month, Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pass a groundbreaking municipal Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which ensures nannies & housecleaners working in Seattle get the basic rights and benefits every worker needs, and creates a new way to set higher industry standards & make further advances.

Until now, few nannies and house cleaners have had access to basic rights and benefits. Some have even been excluded from the minimum wage. And there’s been no good way for workers to come together to set industry-wide standards and improve conditions.

The new Domestic Workers Bill of Rights brings domestic workers from invisible to powerful by:

• Covering all part-time, full-time, independent contractors, and live-in domestic workers in the city — regardless of whether they are technically employed by an agency or a family, and regardless of whether they are classified as employees.

• Ensuring all domestic workers are covered by the minimum wage and receive rest breaks.

• Establishing a Domestic Workers Standards Board which includes workers, employers, and community representatives and has the power to establish industry-wide standards on wages, benefits, training, and other issues.

The Domestic Workers Standards Board is a breakthrough step for workers' rights in Seattle and across the country — a new model of worker power being led by women and people of color who have been too long excluded from other basic legal protections.

Here's how it happened.

We organized.

Nannies, housecleaners, and other domestic workers with Working Washington, Casa Latina, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance have been organizing for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for more than a year.

We shared our stories.

We publicly kicked off our campaign in December with a major event where elected officials heard from nannies and housecleaners and signed on in support of a citywide Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

We showed our numbers.

In March, we assembled a large-scale display of diapers and gloves at Seattle City Hall, representing each of the housecleaners and nannies in the Seattle area — one diaper for each nanny (about 8,000), one glove-finger for each house cleaner (about 7,000). We also released a report analyzing the conditions facing domestic workers in the city.

We broke down doors.

In June, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda introduced a breakthrough Domestic Workers Bill of Rights — so we broke through some doors of our own at City Hall!

And we made history.

Passing the Bill of Rights means domestic workers in Seattle have ended their exclusion from basic labor standards. They've won important new rights and protections. And most importantly, they've won a whole new model of worker power — a first-in-the-nation Domestic Workers Standards Board which empowers workers & employers to come together to effectively set industry standards on wages, benefits, training, and other issues.

This is a huge step forward. It’s another breakthrough victory for Working Washington members. And just like $15, secure scheduling, paid family leave, and other historic steps for workers rights, it shows how much we can accomplish when come together, speak out, and take action.

Thank you to all the Working Washington members who have gotten us to this point. And if you’re not a member yet, now is the perfect time to join!

last week, we made history

My name is Ty, and I've been a nanny in Seattle for about three years. And for the last year, I've been a member of Working Washington, fighting for domestic workers' rights.

It's 2018 — but right now, domestic workers across the US are still excluded from federal labor laws, just like we were back in the 1930s when we were left out of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

And last week, we made history when we showed up to support the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights as it was introduced at Seattle City Hall.

We kicked off our campaign last December, and we've been fighting ever since. Seeing our Bill of Rights finally introduced at City Hall — after the months we've spent going to meetings at libraries, coffee shops, and restaurants, speaking out at events, discussing the amendments one by one — was so empowering. I really felt like I had a place — we were all standing there together in support of the bill, making a change and making history.

I've become a leader in this campaign because domestic work is real work. I'm lucky enough to work for a family that really takes care of me. But that wasn’t always the case. A year ago, I was nannying for a family in West Seattle. They cared about me, but they didn’t know what they were supposed to be doing as employers. They didn't provide health insurance, any paid sick leave, or even rest breaks while I was working shifts up to 10 hours. Not having insurance was horrible — I racked up a $1000 bill for an emergency room visit that I'm still paying off. And there were a couple times I got really sick, and since I didn't have paid time off, I ended up losing hours and losing money.

It's really important that domestic workers are treated like other workers, because we're completing jobs, working hours, getting paid for the service we're doing. When you provide health insurance, when you provide breaks and paid time off, you provide a sense of care. You provide a sense of stability, and a foundation for someone to grow off of while they're raising your own.

Being a part of this movement makes me feel like I'm not isolated — like we're all in it together, working as a single organism.

It's time you join the movement, too!

Now that the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights has been introduced, we're going to have to keep up the momentum to get it passed into law. We're not going to stop here. Whether you're a domestic worker or not, we need your support. If workers aren't all on the same team, working together and supporting each other, we won't get anywhere.

We're people too. We deserve equal rights, just like everyone else — and that means earning the minimum wage, getting rest breaks while we’re working, access to insurance, a retirement plan, paid time off, and contracts so there are certain standards to be upheld.

Yes! I support the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights.

Thank you for your support — it's allowed me to become a leader and make this movement HAPPEN. Let's not stop here! I can't wait to see us reach all the domestic workers in Seattle. We can get our Bill of Rights passed, and then build the momentum to secure rights for domestic workers across the country, if we put our hearts in the right place and take action!

— Ty, nanny, musician, and leader with Working Washington

invisible to powerful

Thousands of nannies, house cleaners, and other domestic workers in Seattle don’t get the full protections of our workers’ rights laws. Few have access to basic benefits like healthcare and retirement. Many don't get paid rest breaks. Some are even excluded from the minimum wage. And there’s no good way for workers to come together to set industry-wide standards that improve wages and working conditions.

Until now.

Thursday morning, we'll be at Seattle City Hall to celebrate the introduction of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which will lead the way to a new model of worker power. We'll break down some doors and take Seattle's domestic workers from invisible to powerful!

If you can make it to Seattle City on Thursday morning, we'd love for you to join us. If you can't make it, can you take a moment to send a message of support to the workers leading the way?

• Yes, I'll be there in support Thursday morning at 8:30am!
• I can't make it to City Hall, but I'd like to show my support.

For months, Seattle domestic workers have been working with elected officials to develop a Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights that will address the inequities faced by a workforce that’s mostly women and disproportionately people of color. 

Here are some key components of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights being introduced Thursday:

• Covers all part-time and full-time domestic workers in the city — regardless of whether they are technically employed by an agency or a family, and regardless of whether they are classified as employees or contractors.
  
  
• Ensures all domestic workers are covered by the minimum wage and receive rest breaks.
  
  
• Establishes a Domestic Workers Standards Board which includes workers, employers, and community representatives and has the power to establish industry-wide standards on wages, benefits, training, and other issues.

The Domestic Workers Standards Board would be a breakthrough step for workers rights in Seattle and across the country — a new model of collective bargaining being led by women and people of color who have been too long excluded from other basic legal protections.

Let us know if you can make it Thursday and celebrate this big step forward — and send a message of support!

ICYMI: Diapers @ Seattle City Hall!

In case you missed it: Last Thursday morning, domestic workers with the Seattle Domestic Workers Alliance (SDWA) came together at Seattle City Hall. They assembled a massive village of thousands of diapers and gloves representing nannies & house cleaners across the city. (And Working WA members donated $ to help buy the diapers, which we passed on to WestSide Baby for families in need when the action was over — if you’d like to donate too, click here!)

It was all in the name of making their voices heard in support of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. And the action was a huge success!

After building the display outside City Hall, workers headed inside to take a seat at the table with City Council members and share their stories. Here’s Ty, a nanny, musician, and Working Washington leader, talking about her experience:

nd here’s Etelbina, a house cleaner, sharing her story:

[For transcriptions & translations of the videos, please click here.]

Workers like Ty & Etelbina have led the way for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights — and City Council members are taking notice:

When workers unite and speak out, big changes happen — and bringing together house cleaners, home care workers, and nannies in one room under one united voice was a huge step forward in making a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a reality in Seattle.

The Bill of Rights would ensure domestic workers get basic rights like the minimum wage, paid time off, and protections from harassment and discrimination. Most importantly, it establishes a worker council — a governing body made up of workers, employers, and city representatives — so that workers have a voice in setting higher industry standards. Click here if you’d like to donate to keep us moving forward.

Cheers,
Working Washington

P.S. Want to check out more coverage from the event? Check out the articles in the Seattle Times and the Stranger.

Thousands of diapers, thousands of workers

On Thursday, March 15, domestic workers and supporters will gather at Seattle City Hall to assemble a village of thousands of diapers and gloves to represent the thousands of nannies and house cleaners who work in homes across the city.

Why? Nannies, house cleaners, cooks, & gardeners in Seattle are leading the way for the rest of the state by organizing for a citywide Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. This will ensure domestic workers get the basic rights and benefits every worker needs — like healthcare and retirement, protection from harassment and discrimination, workers’ comp and unemployment, and a voice in the issues that affect their jobs.

Domestic workers have been an invisible part of our workforce for too long — and we need to make sure they’re seen & heard. So workers will be creating a massive display of their tools of the trade outside of City Hall to make sure they’re seen by as many people as possible! Then, they'll be heading inside to share their stories directly with City Council members.

Want to support these workers and help make sure their voices are heard? Click here!

Domestic workers in Seattle are leading the way for Washington. We need to make sure they have a seat at the table when it comes to creating legislation that will improve their working conditions. If you want to show your support for their work and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, click here!

All kinds of workers are coming together to support the nannies, house cleaners, cooks, and gardeners who have worked in the shadows of our labor laws for far too long. We can’t do it without your support!

Seattle Domestic Workers Alliance wins support from Seattle mayoral candidates

Big news: both candidates for mayor are supporting a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights! Here’s how it happened.

Politics has its ups and downs, but here’s something that’s heartening to see: both candidates for mayor of Seattle have released plans for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

If you’re wondering how that possibly happened, the reason is pretty simple: workers made it happen. Domestic workers in Seattle have started organizing with the Seattle Domestic Workers Alliance (SDWA), headed by Working Washington. They’ve raised their issues at public forums. And they’ve built support. Now, both candidates have agreed to commit to working with them the first year in office for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and a commission to continue long-term conversations about workers’ rights and strengthening working conditions for domestic workers.

Here’s the backstory.

This summer, on June 1st, at a Who Will Work for Workers candidate forum held at the Labor Temple, candidates for mayor were asked how they would support domestic workers’ rights.

There, both candidates said they supported a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Jenny Durkan recalled her experiences as a US attorney working on human trafficking, and spoke to the need to "educate the domestic workers so they know their rights, and make sure the employers are giving the wages and benefits they have to, and make sure we’re bringing attention to that issue.”

Cary Moon called for an expansion of the Office of Labor Standards. Instead of having the responsibility for enforcement fall on nannies, she suggested the city should certify employers and show them what their responsibilities are in order to make sure domestic workers are being treated fairly.

It was good to hear both candidates were committed...but we wanted more details. So Caitlin, a Seattle nanny, followed up on June 15th, at a mayoral forum co-hosted by Working Washington and SEIU 925 focused on affordable childcare. Caitlin asked the candidates to expand on their statements of support and answer the question: “What concrete pieces would go into the Bill of Rights? How do grey market or non-union workers, like myself, build long-lasting policy change?”

Here’s how Jenny Durkan answered: “A Bill of Rights has to both protect the rights themselves, give adequate notice and education, and have enforcement. And the rights have to go to what you’re paid, what your right for breaks are, and what your benefits are. The employers have to be told, and the employees have to be told, and then there has to be an enforcement mechanism. It’s happened in a number of towns and it’s actually been successful in some areas.”

And here’s how Cary Moon answered: “I think the Bill of Rights needs to tackle several things. First it needs to talk about pay rates and overtime and the normal work rules that protect the safety of the workers and the kids. It needs to talk about staffing levels. It needs to talk about benefits. Domestic workers deserve unemployment insurance, they deserve paid sick leave, and they deserve medical insurance. And we need to provide all of those in this system... It should have a component for education for both the employers and the employees so everybody understands what the rules are, and it should have funded enforcement so the city can hold employers accountable.”

With those answers, the candidates moved from general support to something a lot more specific. And it got even better when both candidates marked Labor Day by publishing even more detailed plans for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

On November 2nd and 3rd, workers met with the candidates and asked them to sign on to a letter and agree to take the following two actions their first year in office:

1. Pass a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in the city of Seattle.

2. Create a city commission that facilitates negotiation of wages, working conditions, portable benefits and workers’ right to organize. The Commission would:

   1. Include domestic workers, so they have real representation and a real voice in their industries.

   2. Ensure a livable wage.

   3. Have a mandate to solicit public input from their fellow workers, advocates, and industry experts on issues that affect the health and well-being of domestic workers, including wages, working conditions, and scheduling rights.

   4. Have broad mandates to set legally binding industry standards regarding wages, benefits, working conditions and other issues.

Both candidates said YES to working on this with SDWA and Working Washington the first year they’re in office! They demonstrated to domestic workers that they’ve heard their voices, and are dedicated to making modern labor standards the reality for such a large portion of the local workforce.  

These were big wins — and workers made it happen.

By getting organized, standing up, and speaking out, nannies and housecleaners with SDWA are making an impact, changing the conversation, and setting the stage for workers to continue to break new ground in Seattle.