John -- in D.C. if you are sexually harassed at work there is no H.R. department to talk to, no government office to file a complaint with... if you are a domestic worker.

Domestic workers are the *only* workers excluded from D.C.'s Human Rights Act, and that leaves 20,000 or so employees -- mainly women and women of color -- vulnerable.

Right now the D.C. City Council has a bill in front of it to create a D.C. Domestic Workers Bill of Rights that would end this exception and at long last give domestic workers the same rights as all other workers.

Incredibly, all the members of the Committee of Labor and Workforce Development support the bill, but with a full agenda we need to ramp up the pressure to get them to MOVE on it.

Can you quickly call Councilmember Silverman, Chair of the D.C. Committee of Labor and Workforce Development, and ask them to schedule a hearing ASAP? Call 1-855-678-4150 and you'll be connected.

Making a call is easy and takes just a few minutes, but the impact is huge. Here is a simple suggestion for what you can say:

• I'm calling to thank Councilmember Silverman for supporting the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

• As the Chair of the Committee of Labor and Workforce Development, will the Councilmember please prioritize scheduling a hearing on this important bill as soon as possible?

• All domestic workers deserve the same rights and protections that other workers have had for decades.

D.C. has a strong track record of worker protections, which is why it's so galling that domestic workers are the only workforce explicitly excluded from them.

Discrimination and harassment based on race, gender or sexual orientation; minimum wage protections; paid sick leave; and more. There are a litany of rights many of us take for granted that are denied to domestic workers which the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights will correct.

What we do here in D.C. could have national implications. Congress is considering a national Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, and as the home to staffers, reporters, and Members of Congress - our City Council's decision can reverberate nationwide.

To get this done we first need a hearing at a key committee. Can you take 2 minutes right now to call Councilmember Silverman, Chair of the D.C. Committee of Labor and Workforce Development, and ask them to schedule a hearing for the D.C. Domestic Workers Bill of Rights?

Thanks for your support,

Mariana Viturro, Deputy Director
National Domestic Workers Alliance

This email was sent by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States.