OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill to boost the protections of thousands of domestic workers, including housekeepers, nannies, caregivers, and gardeners, passed the Washington State Senate on Wednesday.
The Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights would grant domestic workers minimum wage, overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, as well as protection from discrimination and retaliation, according to the Washington State Senate.
“Domestic workers play a vital role in our communities, yet they’ve long been excluded from basic labor protections,” State Senator Rebecca Saldaña said. “This bill is an important step in ensuring domestic workers — many of whom are women, immigrants, and people of color — have access to the same labor protections as other Washington workers. It’s a step toward justice and dignity for those who provide essential work in our homes,” she continued.”
Senate Bill 5023 would also reinforce workers’ rights to keep belongings like immigration documents and prohibit employers from asking for or keeping them.
In a recent hearing on the bill, State Senator Curtis King spoke against it.
“I think the vast majority of them are very well treated,” he said. “You’re going to do it at the expense of everybody that treats these people the way they should be treated.”
The bill will move on to the Washington State House.
Two states, Oregon and California, and three cities — Seattle, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. — already have a domestic worker bill of rights in place.
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