ASSEMBLY LABOR COMMITTEE PASSES LANDMARK DOMESTIC WORKER BILL

Albany, New York – On Wednesday, the New York State Assembly Labor Committee approved legislation to provide comprehensive labor standards to domestic workers employed in private homes.

The bill, known as the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (A1470), is the first state initiative of its kind and could serve as a model for other states seeking to address the working conditions of domestic workers. The bill guarantees protection from discrimination, notice of termination and severance pay, sick days, and other basic labor protections to over 200,000 domestic workers in the New York City metropolitan area. "We make it possible for our employers to go to work every day, and we support our own families," says Barbara Young, nanny for over 20 years in Manhattan.

"As the Chair of the Assembly Labor Committee, I have fought to protect the rights of all workers across the state," said Assemblymember Susan John. "I applaud Assemblyman Wright and Domestic Workers United for advancing this legislation. Domestic workers are part of a growing segment of the workforce of unprotected contract employees. They don't have the right to collective bargaining, they work at the will of families who hire them and they have been beyond the scope of most labor protections. Moving this bill from the Labor Committee to the full house for action is the right and just thing to do."

"The passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights has been a long time in the making and we are now one step closer to our goal of ensuring the deserved rights of this vulnerable population. It could not have come at a better time, as the employers of these domestic workers are laying these workers off in record numbers and hopefully this legislation will mitigate the pain and difficulty which has been subjected upon these workers for far too long," said Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright of Harlem, the bill's sponsor in the New York State Assembly. The financial crisis has directly impacted New York's domestic workers, costing many their jobs and forcing many to work more for less pay in order to keep their jobs.

On Tuesday, February 10, over 200 domestic workers from the New York City area and their supporters will travel to Albany to meet with legislators and push for passage of the bill. At 12:30, domestic workers will testify about their experiences and supporters will address the need for the bill. Workers and supporters will be available for interviews.

WHAT: Press conference on the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
WHEN: 12:30, Tuesday, February 10
WHERE: LCA Press Room: Legislative Office Building, Room 130, Albany, NY
WHO: Domestic workers; employers; advocates; researchers; Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, sponsor of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

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