California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (A.B. 889) on Sunday, September 30th, causing considerable disappointment for the 200,000 housekeepers, childcare providers, and caregivers that the Bill of Rights would have affected. The goal of the legislation was to expand labor rights for domestic workers who have long been excluded from traditional labor protection laws. Domestic workers often face long working hours with poor pay, mistreatment, and lack of job security. To combat these injustices the bill provided overtime pay, breaks for meals and rest, as well as a guarantee of a minimum of eight hours of sleep for live-in workers.
The California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights was the second of its kind, following similar legislation passed in New York in 2010. Andrea Cristina Mercado, director of the California Domestic Workers Coalition responded to the veto with disappointment, “[w]e believe that great movements create the context for great acts of leadership, and we created this opportunity for Governor Jerry Brown to lead the nation towards progress and equality for a growing workforce of women. And he made a very unfortunate choice.”
Governor Brown made a statement along with his veto, claiming the bill brought up too many “unanswered questions” including issues regarding the extra burden that these protections would place on employers.
The federal government has thus far failed to make real reform on the national level. Despite participating in the International Labor Organization Convention this summer, which established historic rights for domestic workers, it is unlikely the U.S. will ratify the convention at the federal level. This implies that it is the current responsibility of the states to establish rights for those who have been excluded by the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act. Unfortunately it appears California is not ready to embrace this challenge.
This veto marks a frustrating conclusion to a three-year long grassroots campaign that mobilized over 8,000 workers. Caitlin Vega, a legislative advocate with the Labor Federation, argued that more than just ensuring a good nights sleep, “the workers had hoped the bill would signal a fundamental shift in the way society regards their work.” Despite the disappointment, domestic workers in California vow to continue the fight, and several other states, including Massachusetts, Illinois, and Hawaii are working on similar pieces of legislation. We can only hope that those attempts will be more successful, and that the legislators in California will continue the fight to establish labor rights for domestic workers.
The battle is far from over, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance is striving to continue the conversation by reminding Governor Brown that “you can veto a bill, but you can’t veto a movement”. The NDWA is taking $5 donations to send Governor Brown sponges to convey the message that he needs to clean up his act. Can you pledge $5.00?
-Emily N.
Break the Chain Blog 