invisible to powerful

Thousands of nannies, house cleaners, and other domestic workers in Seattle don’t get the full protections of our workers’ rights laws. Few have access to basic benefits like healthcare and retirement. Many don't get paid rest breaks. Some are even excluded from the minimum wage. And there’s no good way for workers to come together to set industry-wide standards that improve wages and working conditions.

Until now.

Thursday morning, we'll be at Seattle City Hall to celebrate the introduction of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which will lead the way to a new model of worker power. We'll break down some doors and take Seattle's domestic workers from invisible to powerful!

If you can make it to Seattle City on Thursday morning, we'd love for you to join us. If you can't make it, can you take a moment to send a message of support to the workers leading the way?

For months, Seattle domestic workers have been working with elected officials to develop a Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights that will address the inequities faced by a workforce that’s mostly women and disproportionately people of color. 

Here are some key components of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights being introduced Thursday:

  • Covers all part-time and full-time domestic workers in the city — regardless of whether they are technically employed by an agency or a family, and regardless of whether they are classified as employees or contractors.

  • Ensures all domestic workers are covered by the minimum wage and receive rest breaks.

  • Establishes a Domestic Workers Standards Board which includes workers, employers, and community representatives and has the power to establish industry-wide standards on wages, benefits, training, and other issues.

The Domestic Workers Standards Board would be a breakthrough step for workers rights in Seattle and across the country — a new model of collective bargaining being led by women and people of color who have been too long excluded from other basic legal protections.

Let us know if you can make it Thursday and celebrate this big step forward — and send a message of support!