Big news from Olympia! We won! Governor Ferguson’s signature on March 9th made the Washington Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a reality. At every turn—from petitions to hearings to big moments in chamber galleries—employers of domestic workers were there, stewarding this bill to victory.
This victory makes Washington the 13th state in the country to end historic exclusion of domestic workers from basic labor protections.
The landmark legislation extends fundamental protections to domestic workers including nannies, caregivers, and house cleaners, and ensures minimum wage protections, written agreements, protection against discrimination, the right to keep personal documents, and tools to enforce these rights.
At the press conference celebrating the victory, Hand in Hand member Heather Villanueva said, “Hundreds of domestic workers, employers, and partners worked together over six years to help take this bill over the line in Washington, but it’s been nearly 100 years since the Fair Labor Standards Act left domestic workers out of some of the most basic labor policy. I’m proud to live in a state that is righting those wrongs and taking steps forward to make domestic work and the care economy more safe, more dignified, and more supportive for everyone who relies on it.”
Domestic work makes all other work possible. Yet for generations, domestic workers – many of them immigrants and women of color – have been excluded from the most basic workplace protections. Ending that exclusion helps raise standards for everyone.
