WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has continued its commitment to lift its residents out of poverty through historical legislation championed by the administration and City Council such as a Fair Work Week, Paid Sick Leave, $15 minimum wage for those who have contracts with the City of Philadelphia, and now hopes to work with Domestic Workers throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, throughout the City of Philadelphia there were over 16,000+ Domestic Workers including nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, gardeners, and cooks in the Metropolitan Area; and
WHEREAS, The average annual income for Domestic Workers in the City of Philadelphia was $10,000 annually per a report issued by Pilar Goñalons-Pons, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Most Domestic Workers are women of color and immigrant women who live paycheck to paycheck; and
WHEREAS, Due to their employment being unregulated, unprotected, workplaces are excluded from basic local, state, and federal labor protections including minimum wage standards, overtime protections, benefits, and freedom from gender and racial discrimination; and
WHEREAS, These exclusions from protections have led to Domestic Workers experiencing widespread wage theft, sexual violence, dangerous working conditions, lack of benefits such as health insurances, and other workplace abuses; and
WHEREAS, The National Labor Relations Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act that allows workers to unionize does not currently cover domestic workers. Currently U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) plan to introduce the first ever Federal Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights mandating breaks and outline scheduling practices; and
WHEREAS, Eight States and Seattle, WA currently have passed legislation guaranteeing domestic workers overtime, three paid vacation days a year, and protection from discrimination including other protections from sexual and racial harassment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby authorize the Committee on Labor and Civil Service to hold hearings to examine labor standards for Domestic Workers throughout the City of Philadelphia.
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