NJ Legislature passes bill of rights for domestic workers

After the New Jersey legislature tossed around versions of the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights for two and a half years, the measure passed Monday, a victory that offers some dignity to the more than 60,000 domestic workers in the state.

The bill, which must be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, would give domestic workers protection against discrimination and retaliation; mandatory meal and rest breaks; and written agreements detailing hours, wages and duties, among other things.

Domestic workers will be able to report discrimination issues, wage theft and sexual harassment to the Department of Labor.

“This is an enormous step toward more dignity and respect for domestic workers,” said Evelyn Saz, one of the organizers of the National Domestic Workers Alliance who is leading the group's efforts in New Jersey.

“Many of our workers, for many, many years, have suffered wage theft because they had no written contract. With this law, what we want is to guarantee obvious things, such as a worker’s right to take a break,” she said.

The bill was first introduced in June 2021.

On Jan. 4, the last day the bill could be heard by the General Assembly appropriation committee, domestic workers arrived early in Trenton with no plans of leaving without an approval.

“They put us last minute because we were there with our presence,” Garcia said.

More: Why legislators took long to approve the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights?

The bill also includes protections against trafficking domestic workers from other countries under misleading offers and granted the right to privacy and other protections for live-in domestic workers.

With this bill, New Jersey is joining ten other states which have enacted bills of rights for domestic workers since 2013.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Legislature passes bill of rights for domestic workers