Everyone should be able to take a sick day or a day off when they need it. But right now, nearly two-thirds of nannies and house cleaners in the Seattle area don’t have access to this basic right.
Back in 2018, workers organizing with Working Washington & CASA Latina won the Seattle Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which ended the racist exclusion of domestic workers — who are mostly women, people of color, and immigrants — from our basic labor laws and ensured they are protected by minimum wage laws, paid rest breaks, and meal breaks.
Now, nannies and house cleaners in Seattle are making progress towards a paid time off system that actually gives domestic workers access to time off when they need it.
It’s time for an equitable and mandatory paid time off system that reflects the realities of domestic work.
That means creating a portable system that moves with workers as they move from job to job. Because many domestic workers are employed by multiple households, they often don't work enough hours at a single employer to build up a meaningful amount of paid time off. And every time they get a new job, they have to start over accruing benefits.
Workers organizing with Working Washington and Casa Latina testified in support of portable benefits at a recent city budget hearing. Here’s what they told the City Council:
“Our industry is historically one of the most abused and oppressed, particularly among people of color and immigrants, who generally live below the poverty line and don’t have access to any extra resources besides the money they earn from their hard work. When we don’t have access to paid time off, it means that a lot of the time, we have to go to work sick or make the difficult decision of adjusting our budget, which is generally already pushed to its limit. Many of us are living day-to-day, and this creates extra stress thinking of how we will pay for basic necessities like rent, phone bills, and gas. ”
“When everyone suddenly had to stay at home, I witnessed so many of my fellow nannies lose work without any compensation. Most didn’t have anything to fall back on, like paid time off benefits or savings. This situation shows us just how important it is that we have paid time off benefits — you never know when you’ll need them. Having these benefits would be a relief: economically, physically, and emotionally. It’s essential that we pass these rights in Seattle and statewide...I’m sure that the proposal for portable benefits for domestic workers would have a huge impact on our lives.”
“As domestic workers, we are important in the development of our economy, society, and safety. I want to ask [City Council] for your support to protect the $500,000 dedicated to this vulnerable sector, especially in this health and safety crisis, during which our labor sector has been forgotten and lacked support from the government.
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The City of Seattle’s proposed budget for 2022 includes $500,000 to develop a paid time off policy for domestic workers, and City Council is advancing a resolution on a plan to make it happen.
Workers will be at upcoming budget hearings speaking out to get those commitments passed. Stay tuned!