Grace Reinke, a graduate student from the UW Department of Political Science, recently published a policy brief, calling attention to important takeaways that may aid policymakers and labor organizers in their continued labor advocacy, particularly regarding domestic workers' rights, which have classically been overlooked in the formation of protective labor laws.
"On the afternoon of July 23, 2018 an otherwise routine meeting of the Seattle City Council became a joyous celebration as domestic workers and advocates watched a unanimous vote to pass a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights establishing comprehensive labor standards for domestic workers in the city. Stipulations about basic work conditions may seem like standard labor protections, but the Seattle Bill of Rights was path breaking in extending minimum wage rules and rights to mandated rest and meal breaks and paid vacation time to long unprotected domestic workers like nannies and maids.
Urban policymakers and labor organizers alike should learn from the enactment of this bill that it is time for national conversations on labor rights to turn to domestic workers, who have for too long been overlooked and excluded from basic workplace protections."
To read the full policy brief, visit the Scholars Strategy Network