
On Wednesday, October 31, 2019, the Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. Officially, the City Council amended a chapter in its “Fair Practices Ordinance: Protections Against Unlawful Discrimination.” The Council amended the chapter entitled “Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces,” by adding a new chapter, “Protections for Domestic Workers,” “all to provide protections for domestic workers and to establish remedial and enforcement provisions, all under certain terms and conditions.”
As the City Council put it, this “landmark” legislation “provides protections and rights for domestic workers that will give the city one of the strongest laws in the country.” The bill’s principal sponsor, City Councilwoman Maria Quinoñes-Sánchez, explained, “The women have bravely told their stories about non-payment and sexual harassment, and despite their challenges whether they are undocumented or not, they have helped us put together not only the best piece of legislation, but a task force that is going to ensure the implementation with a comprehensive education campaign.” Director of the Pennsylvania Domestic Workers Alliance, Nicole Kligerman, added, “Domestic workers have been excluded from all labor protections in the history of the U.S. Today, for the first time, Philadelphia domestic workers have won the same rights and protections that all other workers have in Philadelphia. We’re the largest city to do so and it’s the best law in the country.”
Nine states have passed versions of Domestic Workers’ Bills of Rights: Oregon, California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Nevada. This year, Seattle also passed a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. Each version is more expansive, more specific. In July, Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Pramila Jayapal introduced the federal Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act. From coast to coast, state by state, city by city, the racially based exclusion of domestic workers from the dignity of labor protections is being challenged and overturned.
At each turn, domestic workers have exhibited organizational prowess and extraordinary courage and bravery, as Councilwoman Quinoñes-Sánchez noted. While domestic workers’ courage and bravery is admirable, why must they be heroic in order to attain the basic rights workers are meant to have? What is the regime of intimidation and, at times, terror that blankets the work and labor of care givers, nannies, and housekeepers? How will we pay for the decades of pain and suffering inflicted on mostly women of color, all in the name of “economic growth”, all the while chanting the “our” domestic workers are treated “like one of the family”?
These are questions for down the road. But for now, it’s time for celebration. In October 2019, South African domestic workers won a major victory in the courthouse, and Philadelphia domestic workers won a major victory in the City Hall. Both of these victories are landmark events that expand and deepen domestic workers’ rights, dignity and power everywhere. The struggle continues.
(Photo Credit: (Tim Tai / Philadelphia Inquirer)
Philadelphia Just Passed Landmark Legislation for Domestic Workers’ Rights https://msmagazine.com/2019/11/04/philadelphia-just-passed-landmark-legislation-for-domestic-workers-rights/
Paid time off for Uber drivers? How a Philly plan could be a model for millions of gig workers https://www.inquirer.com/jobs/labor/portable-benefits-domestic-workers-paid-time-off-philadelphia-20191106.html
Philly Sets New Gold Standard for Domestic Worker Protections https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philly-sets-new-gold-standard-for-domestic-worker-protections
Philadelphia Domestic Workers Win a New Bill of Rights – https://inequality.org/research/philadelphia-domestic-workers/
Philadelphia Enacts Landmark Domestic Worker Protections https://nonprofitquarterly.org/philadelphia-enacts-landmark-domestic-worker-protections/
Philadelphia domestic workers win a new bill of rights https://www.nationofchange.org/2019/11/18/philadelphia-domestic-workers-win-a-new-bill-of-rights/
A Unique Philadelphia Law Guarantees 16,000 Domestic Workers Paid Time Off https://talkpoverty.org/2019/11/20/philadelphia-domestic-workers-paid-leave/
Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights signed into law https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/philadelphia-domestic-workers-bill-rights-signed-law/56943
Kenney signs domestic workers bill of rights to protect most vulnerable https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/kenney-signs-bill-to-protect-vulnerable-domestic-workers
What comes next for Philadelphia’s domestic workers? https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/what-comes-next-philadelphias-domestic-workers/57371
Workers march ahead of City council vote on permanent Department of Labor https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/workers-march-ahead-city-council-vote-permanent-department-labor/57633
Philadelphia City Council votes to make the Department of Labor permanent, expand its powers https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/philadelphia-city-council-votes-make-department-labor-permanent-expand-its-powers
Know your rights. Philly domestic workers to train virtually for May 1 https://aldianews.com/articles/culture/social/know-your-rights-philly-domestic-workers-train-virtually-may-1/58276
Law protecting Philadelphia domestic workers takes effect as they’re losing jobs in droves https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-domestic-worker-bill-of-rights-takes-effect-coronavirus-20200501.html
Invisible no longer: I’m a nanny and finally, I have the protections I need https://whyy.org/articles/invisible-no-longer-im-a-nanny-and-finally-i-have-the-protections-i-need/
Philadelphia’s Domestic Worker Bill of Rights goes into effect amid a pandemic https://aldianews.com/articles/politics/philadelphias-domestic-worker-bill-rights-goes-effect-amid-pandemic/58334
At Long Last, Congress Considers a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights https://inequality.org/great-divide/congress-national-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights/
Domestic Workers Bill Of Rights Introduced To Protect Those Who ‘Do Incredibly Difficult Work For Not High Pay’ https://dcist.com/story/22/03/15/dc-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights-introduced/
“Without Domestic Work, This Country Would Not Function” https://www.essence.com/news/domestic-workers-midterms/