There are over 300,000 domestic workers employed as housekeepers, nannies, and caregivers in private homes in California — and they have long been denied basic occupational health and safety protections. This is a historical exclusion, with racist roots, and it needs to end this year.
That’s why Worksafe is partnering with the California Domestic Workers Coalition, Equal Rights Advocates, and the California Employment Lawyers Association to sponsor SB1257: the Health and Safety for All Workers Act.
This bill, authored by Senator Maria Elena Durazo, will revise the California Labor Code so that "household domestic service" is no longer excluded from the worker protections provided by Cal/OSHA. These changes would also apply to day laborers, another group that has been denied the basic rights they deserve.
Domestic workers and day laborers face a number of workplace hazards without the proper tools or training. Domestic workers experience things like ergonomic hazards, exposure to infectious diseases and household cleaning chemicals, and workplace violence. Day laborers experience a variety of hazards like working with unsafe machinery in construction and landscaping.
Ready to support SB1257? Here are some actions you can take this week:
- Tune in at noon on April 8 for a virtual press conference and campaign launch, featuring domestic workers and advocates including Nicole Marquez-Baker, Worksafe’s Director of Policy and Legal Services
- Write a letter of support and send it to the California Domestic Workers Coalition by April 10
- Spread the word on social media using the hashtags #SB1257, #MyHealthMyDignity, #DignityRising, and #WorkplaceSafetyForAll
- Read and share these factsheets in English and Spanish to learn more
The COVID-19 crisis and last year’s wildfires have magnified the dangers that domestic workers and day laborers face. We know that these disasters will continue, with potentially more frequency and intensity, and we need immediate legislative action to keep ALL workers safe.
In Solidarity,
Worksafe
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