Yesterday, Senator Richard J. Codey, Senator Loretta Weinberg, and Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake announced the introduction of the New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in order for local domestic workers to receive protection, support, and safety in the workforce. The bill, introduced on International Domestic Workers Day and backed by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, would include basic legal rights for New Jersey’s 50,000 domestic workers, many of whom are experiencing wage theft, denial of breaks, and lack of sick leave.

As we celebrate Juneteenth (June 19) and commemorate the end of government sanctioned slavery in the United States, it is important to remember that, for over 400 years, the systems that built and fueled America and its wealth thrived on a disregard for, and subjugation of Black lives — and domestic workers are inseparable from this history.

For these reasons and many more, we believe that our organizing must be led by and center the lives of Black women. Through our We Dream in Black (WeDiB) program and its Unbossed agenda, we are committed to shaping the future in a way that lifts up the Black domestic workforce and brings value and respect to our labor and the history of our struggle. 

NDWA Gig Worker Advocates, our sister organization advocating for domestic workers who use online platforms to find work, and Handy, an online platform connecting people who need a housecleaner with domestic workers, announced a first-of-its-kind pilot program.

The pilot program will provide Handy Pros — workers who use the Handy app to find jobs — a guaranteed pay of at least $15 an hour, paid time off and a formal process to provide input aimed at improving the worker experience on the platform. The pilot program will include Handy Pros in Florida, Kentucky, and Indiana. Participants will automatically be enrolled in Alia and the benefits program. The agreement is the first-of-its kind and comes at a critical time for domestic workers, who have been some of the first and hardest hit by the pandemic.

From May to July, home care workers are declaring that #CareIsEssential and are convening with electeds, consumers of care, families, and allies for a series of town halls across the country. Home care workers have an opportunity to make their voices heard, represent their communities and continue their fierce demands for: a $400 billion investment in home and community-based services, and good, family sustaining union jobs in the American Jobs and Families Plan. They’re also demanding a pathway to citizenship to create a pipeline of qualified care providers needed to address the rising demand for home care.

#ICYMI

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