The criminal convictions delivered by a federal jury Monday to a Muttontown (LI) couple who kept two domestic workers in slavery for years is a good start, but only a start, in the effort to curb the abuse of NY's 200,000 domestic workers.

Many domestic workers, largely immigrant women of color, are abused in their employment conditions in a variety of ways: underpaid, long hours, no premium pay for overtime, vacations, health, disability, unemployment or workers compensation insurance. The organization supporting and representing them is Domestic Workers United mixture of labor union and social-action organization which has a proposal -- a Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights which is now pending in the legislature. (The bills are A. 628 here and S. 5235.) The lawyers among us can read the text here .

So it's obvious (is it not?) how you can help. Call your Assembly Member and Senator and ask them to get on board in support of this bill. When I spoke to my Assembly Member, he told me he thought he was a co-sponsor. He's not, but he promised me he would be. When I called my Senator, his staff knew nothing of the bill and promised to get back -- someday. What did you representatives say when you called them?

Even though, in the most nominal sense, domestic workers who "live out" are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, their isolated working conditions and their dependence on their employers rarely leads them to demand premium pay for overtime -- for example. (As I understand it, those who "live-in" are not covered and can be compelled to work any number of hours without premium pay.)

Recently Domestic Workers United, with the help of a network of cooperating attorneys, have brought FLSA cases against employers. The most recent was a few days ago:

Silvia came to New York in search of a means to support her children and family. She found a job as a nanny for two children in New York and then in New Jersey, working between 10 to 14 hours per day, caring
for the children, cleaning, washing dishes, and doing the laundry for the entire household. She was underpaid; her employers violated both state and federal labor laws mandating minimum wage and overtime pay. The job finally ended when Silvia became extremely ill. Three days
after she was hospitalized, she was fired with no notice or severance pay.

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Gluttons for punishment among you can find her complaint in Sylvia Medina v. Michelle Jung & John McCullough pending US District Court in New Jersey or on Pacer.

Want to read more? Download the Domestic Workers United report: Home Is Where The Work Is .

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