“Today, however, Juarez knows her rights well (and, yes, in Massachusetts she is entitled to overtime pay). In fact, she and colleagues like Angela Foster — a veteran nanny who discovered the domestic workers movement two years ago at a workshop during National Nanny Recognition Week (mark it: the fourth week in September) — now regularly conduct training sessions to teach others about their rights. They work as member leaders with an organization called Matahari: Eye of the Day (Matahari, in Malay, means sun). The group is part of the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers, which successfully lobbied for passage of a domestic workers’ bill of rights.”
Read MoreJudge Bianco said that an employee who slept at her employer's premises 5 days a week and at her own residence on weekends may be exempt from the FLSA's overtime restrictions. The court concluded that "to reside denotes both a length of time and action and intention by the resident." This decision is relevant to many thousands of housekeepers who sleep at their employer's premises during the week and at their own home on the weekends, but do not get overtime pay for working over 40 hours per week.
Read MoreOn July 2, 2014, Massachusetts took a lead in inclusivity and civil rights. General Laws c. 149, § 190 brought domestic workers “out of the shadows”, Demonstrating the need for this new law and its popularity, it passed in one legislative session with a unanimous Senate and bipartisan veto majority in the House.
Despite the popularity and passage with virtually no opposition, disparaging misconceptions and myths about the new law abound. The authors of this article aim to correct the myths and explain why employee advocates and the management bar should appreciate this new law.
Read MoreLast year we passed the most progressive and far-reaching domestic workers' bill of rights law in the United States. We now are leading the way in full-on implementation and outreach.
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