Thousands of Miami-Dade County's domestic workers are organizing a day-long rally this Saturday to advocate for stronger workplace protections and the passage of the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.
The Exclusion of Domestic Workers from Workplace Protections
US domestic workers are often excluded from many federal workplace protections, deeming the nature of their work more prone to closed-door abuses. They are typically excluded from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964protections, which prohibits workplace discrimination and sexual harassment, as it only applies to employers with 15 or more employees, and are also not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), which sets standards for safe and healthy working conditions.
Miami Workers' Upcoming Rally
Saturday's event, which will take place at the Miami Dade Wolfson Campus from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., intends to address wage theft, discrimination, and insufficient legal protections experienced by nearly 60,000 domestic workers in the county. According to the event organizers, other activities lined up during the rally include workshops and panel discussions involving workers' rights, personal stories from domestic workers, and the unveiling of a preliminary Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.
The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
US Representative Pramila Jayapal on Thursday teamed up with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Ben Ray Lujan to reintroduce the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which aims to grant fundamental workplace rights and protections to the approximately 2.2 million domestic workers across the nation if enacted. Jayapal emphasized that the legislation seeks to finally grant domestic workers the dignity and respect they deserve, primarily women of color who perform critical societal roles.
Despite previous setbacks in Congress, there is increasing support for similar legislation this time. However, Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, acknowledges that there are still substantial challenges ahead, emphasizing that bills of this magnitude often face a lengthy legislative process, sometimes spanning decades.
A Cry for Stronger Workplace Protections
Domestic workers recently journeyed to Washington, D.C., where they participated in a rally featuring President Joe Biden as the main speaker.
Julie Vogtman, senior counsel for the National Women's Law Center, pointed out that a significant issue lies in the undervaluation of domestic work. It is frequently marginalized as caregiving work that women simply do out of good intentions rather than recognized as professional work deserving of labor protections.
Domestic workers from across the country have also extended their advocacy efforts beyond Congress to statehouses, where they have played a pivotal role in the passage of labor protections. Florida, however, currently lacks such legislation. Yet, even in the 11 states with legislation specifically targeting domestic workers, enforcement is still often lacking, with women statistically more likely to face workplace assaults compared to men.
The Miami Workers Center, WeCount!, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance are among the groups participating in Saturday's event.
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