The California legislature is now considering the Household Worker Equity Bill (AB2536). The purpose of this bill is to provide equitable employment benefits for household workers such as equal overtime protection, protection of health and safety, and accountability for employers hire household workers. Domestic workers are currently exempted from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and they are also excluded from state Labor Codes.

According to the California Domestic Worker Project, over half the domestic workers who work overtime do not receive overtime pay. 16% had faced non-payment (such as a bad check), 22% had been paid less than agreed, 9% had been sexually harassed, and 20% had been insulted and threatened on the job. Live-in workers are highly exploited since employers tend to disregard boundaries between working and personal time, and workers often have no place to go if they want to leave. Most workers are Latina, immigrant women with families to support.

If you live in California, you can help further the cause of social justice by letting your elected representatives know you support fair treatment of domestic workers!