In Washington DC, domestic workers were the only group of workers excluded from DC’s Human Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination on the job. 9,040 domestic workers work in Washington DC.
After more than four years of domestic workers’ sustained advocacy and organizing, the DC Council passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in December 2022. The bill finally includes domestic workers, many of whom regularly experience sexual harassment, wage theft, and other forms of workplace discrimination, in basic legal rights.
The recently passed DC Domestic Workers Bill of Rights will:
Domestic work is one of the most important and fastest growing jobs in the country, yet it is some of the most unprotected and vulnerable work, excluded from basic labor rights and protections and primarily done by women of color and immigrants.
Of the 9,040 domestic workers working in DC
The median annual earnings for a domestic worker in DC is $25,888.
In Washington DC, domestic workers are subject to wage theft, workplace discrimination, unstable schedules, lack of access to basic workplace benefits, and more.
Domestic workers were the only group of workers excluded from DC’s Human Rights Act. This exclusion is a remnant of a long legacy of racism that dates back to slavery. The exclusion from DC’s Human Rights Act reflects the federal exclusions of domestic workers from several bedrock workplace protections passed in the 1930s. Domestic workers were intentionally excluded from these protections in order to gain the votes of southern lawmakers, who did not want to include the overwhelmingly Black workforce that did domestic work at the time.
Domestic workers do essential work to care for our families and our homes, yet they lack basic rights including protections under DC’s human rights law. That’s why we’re so excited that @tweetelissa will soon introduce a #DomesticWorkersBillofRights in the DC Council! pic.twitter.com/hBVM8SwiCk
— Domestic Workers (@domesticworkers) February 17, 2022