In New York City, Judith Bautista Hidalgo is teaching a self-defense course to 25 Hispanic women who work as nannies, housekeepers, and home care workers. These workers, known as domestic workers, are excluded from many federal workplace protections due to the private and home-based nature of their jobs. While some domestic workers are covered under minimum wage and overtime laws, part-time and live-in workers are exempt from some provisions. Additionally, domestic workers are generally excluded from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans workplace discrimination and sexual harassment.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal plans to introduce a national domestic workers bill of rights to address these exclusions from key labor laws. Previous efforts to pass similar legislation have stalled in Congress, but there is mounting support for the upcoming bill. Domestic workers have traveled to Washington, D.C., where they rallied with President Joe Biden and met with Jayapal to discuss the bill. These workers are advocating for better protections and recognition of the professional nature of their work, which is often undervalued.
Domestic workers like Dulce Tovar and Isabel Santos face abuse and exploitation in their work environments. Tovar, a nanny from El Paso, Texas, highlights the lack of legal protections for domestic workers in her state. Santos, a nanny from Chicago with over two decades of experience, stresses the importance of the expertise that experienced caretakers bring to their roles. Despite their contributions to society, domestic workers are vulnerable to workplace exploitation, especially women who are disproportionately affected.
The We Rise Nanny Training program in Brooklyn aims to empower domestic workers by providing education on workers’ rights, newborn care, self-defense, and more. Hidalgo, who leads the program, has firsthand experience with sexual harassment in the workplace and shares her story to raise awareness. Participants in the program feel empowered to defend themselves and speak up about workplace issues. Despite fears of retaliation or lack of legal work authorization, workers are encouraged to stand up for their rights.
Laura Rodriguez, an employment attorney, reassures domestic workers that the law protects them regardless of their immigration status. She acknowledges that some employers may threaten to call immigration authorities, but they risk revealing their own violations by doing so. The pandemic further exacerbated the challenges faced by domestic workers, with increased duties, lower pay, and job insecurity. Organizations like the We Rise Nanny Training provide a support system for workers to navigate these difficult circumstances.
The fight for recognition and protections for domestic workers extends beyond Congress to statehouses, where workers have played a key role in passing labor protections. Despite the challenges faced by domestic workers, there is a growing movement to advocate for their rights and improve their working conditions. The advocacy efforts of organizations like the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Carroll Gardens Nanny Association aim to transform the domestic worker industry and ensure that these workers are treated with dignity and respect.
