FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2022
Contact: Daniela Perez, dperez@domesticworkers.org
NEW YORK – On Friday, December 16, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) celebrated its victories in New York State at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. The celebration honored the 2010 enactment of the New York Domestic Workers Bill of Rights – the first state to pass the bill in the country – and the 2021 enactment of State Human Rights Law coverage for nannies, housekeepers, and home care workers. Attendees are contributors to support the crucial work of NDWA in New York and across the country.
NDWA honored Richard Winsten of the firm State & Broadway, representing domestic workers in Albany for each triumph.
Attendees included Bill of Rights bill sponsors Senator Diane Savino, former Assembly Member Keith Wright, and Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who sponsored the Human Rights Law amendment along with Senator Jessica Ramos.
Jenn Stowe, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, said, “NDWA is deeply proud of the progress we have seen in New York as we advance protections for domestic workers in the nation. Further, we are grateful for Richard’s commitment to improving the lives of workers and families. We celebrate this moment and honor Richard’s collaboration with NDWA and the movement.
The Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in New York State was the first bill of its kind in the country and has been followed in ten states, including California. We are deeply grateful to Senator Savino and Former Assembly Member Wright for being trailblazers and setting a powerful example for the country. Because of their leadership and relentless work, domestic workers in New York State have the right to overtime pay, a day off each week, three days off with pay each year, and protection against sexual harassment – which they were denied for decades.
After generations of exclusion, domestic workers in New York, overwhelmingly women and the majority of women of color, finally have protections against discrimination under the state’s Human Rights Law. This historic breakthrough supports the dignity of some of the most isolated and undervalued workers in the state, thanks to the leadership of Assembly Member Rajkumar and Senator Jessica Ramos and the determination of domestic workers who have organized for over two decades to see this progress.”
“In New York State, since 2010, we have finally leveled the legal playing field for previously excluded domestic workers with respect to labor standards and anti-discrimination and sexual harassment protections,” Richard Winsten said. “The important next step for 2023 is to ensure enforcement of these protections and to educate domestic employers on their responsibilities and make it simpler for them to comply with the law.”
Marrisa Senteno, NDWA NY Chapter Director, expanded on the 2023 planning, stating, “In January, we will kick off our campaign to make sure that the promise of the Bill of Rights is fully realized by educating workers and employers, making sure domestic workers and domestic employers have the resources needed to comply with a just workplace, and by making sure that all relevant agencies of NYS government coordinate their activities to enforce the law.”
