FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 9, 2026, 3pm
CONTACT: Emmanuel Carrillo | emmanuel@workingwa.org | 206-573-0594
History Made: Workers celebrate signing of
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Landmark legislation will raise labor standards, end longstanding exclusions, and safeguard rights for 100,000 domestic workers statewide
Olympia, WA – Dozens of domestic workers, employers, labor and community leaders, and state legislators celebrated as Governor Ferguson signed the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (HB 2355) into law, which finally puts an end to the decades-long exclusion of domestic workers from the state’s basic labor protections.
The landmark legislation ensures minimum wage protections, creates the right to clear written agreements and for workers to keep personal documents, safeguards against retaliation and discrimination, and provides meaningful tools for enforcement.
Workers, lawmakers, and coalition partners shared how the Bill of Rights will improve conditions for over 100,000 house cleaners, gardeners, nannies, and home care workers across Washington:
“This new legislation is for every worker who, until now, was denied the protection of a minimum wage and who navigated abuse without having the necessary tools to claim their dignity and respect as a professional. For years, I worked without a written agreement, without clear schedules, or defined responsibilities. Today, we are building a radically different future—a future where domestic workers have the respect, protection, and recognition that we deserve.”
–Monica Salas, domestic worker and member of Working Washington
“I shared my story and fought to pass the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights so that no one else would have to go through the uncertainty and injustice I experienced because I was excluded from our state's basic labor protections. After workers won protection in Seattle, thousands of us in small towns and rural areas were still excluded from these basic standards. That ends today! I’m ready to share this good news in my community and make sure everyone knows that all of us in Washington now have the same fundamental protections as other workers and can speak up against injustice on the job.”.
—Lupe Paredes, domestic workers, Pacific County, Firelands Workers United/Trabajadores Unidos
“I have two young kids, and for the past six years, I have been the employer of an incredible nanny who takes care of them. Thanks to this law, employers who want to do the right thing won't have to face the same confusion in learning how to write a fair contract. They will have resources and clear rules to do so. And for those employers who truly want to mistreat domestic workers, this legislation ensures there will be consequences.”
– Heather Villanueva, domestic worker employer & member of Hand-in-Hand: The Domestic Workers Employers Network
“I’m so grateful to the domestic workers, advocates, and community leaders who have spent years organizing, sharing their stories, and refusing to give up on this fight. Domestic workers care for our children, support our elders, and help keep families across Washington going every single day. But for too long, their work has been overlooked and excluded from basic protections. The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights finally gives that work the recognition it deserves, and ensures these essential workers are treated with the fairness, respect, and protections they have always earned. This victory belongs to them.”
– State Senator Rebecca Saldaña, (37th District, lead sponsor in the Senate)
"This may easily be one of the most important policies I've had the honor of working on in my life. The domestic workers of Washington are finally seeing the results of their advocacy at a time when so many other workers are seeing rights stripped from them. In a time of great darkness, I am grateful for their light."
– State Representative Brianna Thomas (34th District, lead sponsor in the House)
TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS: Domestic workers and employers are available for interviews. Contact Emmanuel Carrillo to arrange: emmanuel@workingwa.org | 206-573-0594
About the WA Domestic Workers Coalition and the Bill of Rights campaign: The Coalition is an assembly of organizations made up of domestic workers and employers who organize for the rights and wellbeing of workers in this industry—it includes Working Washington & Fair Work Center, Casa Latina, Hand in Hand, Ala Garifuna, Firelands Workers United/Trabajadores Unidos, SEIU 775, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Domestic workers include nannies, home care workers, house cleaners, and gardeners whose work makes all other work possible but who have long been excluded from basic workplace protections due to New Deal-era carveouts that still shape today’s labor laws. The Coalition mobilized in Seattle in 2018 to win the first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in the nation, granting workers the right to minimum wage, uninterrupted rest breaks and meal periods, and other new protections. This year 2026, the coalition has fought at the state legislature to expand protections to workers statewide.