<snip> Assemblyman Keith Wright (Democrat-Harlem) announced Sunday a statewide initiative to bring the domestic workforce in New York out of the shadows of slavery.
The Domestic Workers Union said the bill of rights wil be a key labor issue in Albany on the heels of a minimum wage increase victory for low-wage workers statewide. <snip>
“Domestic workers take care of the city’s children. Domestic workers take care of the city’s family. Domestic workers do the cooking and do the cleaning. They are the backbone of this city. They just do everything,” said Wright. “This bill is about justice and fairness,” he added. “This is not an issue of politics, this is an issue of humanity.”
The blue-print Domestic Bill of Rights calls for a strict legislation that would require a living wage of at least $14.00 an hour, health insurance, overtime pay and paid vacations for domestic workers. The Bill of Rights addresses the historical exclusion of domestic workers from state labor protections, which has resulted in unchecked maltreatment in the workplace. <snip>
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