Did you hear?
City Council passed the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights last week!
Here’s the context from Next City:
Nine states — New Mexico, New York, Hawaii, Connecticut, California, Illinois, Nevada, Massachusetts and Oregon — and the City of Seattle have previously passed domestic worker protections. The Philadelphia legislation builds on earlier policies, taking key protections a step further, including a first-of-its-kind mandate to create an employer-funded portable benefits system to provide and administer paid time off for domestic workers with multiple employers.
Domestic workers labor under unique conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
Historically, domestic and agricultural workers were excluded from federal protections as a way to avoid protecting black workers by proxy. Additionally, many domestic workers are undocumented. Finally, domestic workers are often isolated as they work, and sometimes even live in a client’s home.
Philadelphia is home to approximately 16,000 domestic workers, with an average income of $10,000 per year. The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights details what benefits must be offered, including periodic rest and meal breaks and paid time off.
Congratulations to the robust coalition of activists and advocates who worked on this great accomplishment!
What’s Next?
Mayor Kenney is expected to sign the bill into law and then hopefully, more cities will follow suit.
Meanwhile, you can join the fight in calling to improve sexual harassment protections for domestic workers on the state level.
Several bills currently under consideration before the state Legislature would expand current law to cover domestic workers for the first time, including:
HB 1027 (Galloway) would expand the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) to cover domestic and agricultural workers and requires employers to adopt written policies and procedures to prevent and address harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. It would also extend coverage to employees of employers with fewer than 4 employees.
House Bill 1040 (Rabb) will protect agricultural and domestic workers from discrimination and harassment and require training of employees on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Senate Bill 503 (Tartaglione) will extend PHRA coverage to domestic workers, agricultural workers, and independent contractors.
We encourage you to call your state Representative and urge them to support these bills.
You can read or download this fact sheet to review the rest of our policy agenda to improve sexual harassment protections in Pennsylvania.
PS: Please join us at our Philadelphia party on November 22!
Come celebrate our victories and support the work necessary to succeed despite many current challenges by joining us at our annual party in Philadelphia. Please note we have changed the date and location this year–we hope to see you on Nov. 22 at the Ballroom at the Ben! Details and registration here.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center devoted to defending and expanding the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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