Fair Care Pledge

Informal work arrangements leave domestic workers (most of whom are women of color) without clear standards or workplace protections. It is essential that those who employ someone in their home recognize that their home is someone’s workplace, and that they are in an employer-employee relationship. Domestic workers are entitled to a professional and respectful workplace.

To engage employers directly and change the culture of the domestic work industry, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, and Care.com partner on an initiative called the “Fair Care Pledge.”

We are asking that all domestic employers take the Fair Care Pledge and commit to three things:

Fair Wages
(including a living wage plus overtime, and annual cost of living raises.This also includes reimbursing employees for work related expenses.)
Paid Time Off
(including medical and sick leave, family and parental leave, vacation, etc.)
Clear expectations & Respectful Communication
(including employment contracts and regular check-ins)

Take the pledge

Once you take the Fair Care Pledge, you will receive a shareable graphic for social media that you can post, along with the hashtag #FairCarePledge. Publicly committing to this pledge will inspire others to be fair, professional and respectful employers too.

Follow @FairCarePledge, @CareDotCom, @domesticworkers, and @HiHemployers on Twitter to learn more.

May 8, 2015

MCDW members and supporters testify on the law's regulations

People sitting around tables in a dining room smiling.

Crowd of adults sitting in chairs in a white room.

Women sitting in chairs. One wears a lanyard and a button.

Six women of color standing around a table, smiling at the camera. There is food on the table.

Five people sitting in a circle on chairs and a green couch. A poster in the background reads, “Vida Verde. Brazilian Women’s Co-op. Environmentally Sound Cleaning.”

Woman holding up a baby in a pink romper. The baby is looking into another woman’s face, and all three appear happy.

Many people, including several children, sitting in a circle on chairs and a green couch. A poster in the background reads, “Vida Verde. Brazilian Women’s Co-op. Environmentally Sound Cleaning.”

Eight women sitting on chairs in a room.

Five women and one girl sitting in chairs facing forward. One woman wears a lanyard.

Two women standing and facing each other. One wears a dress and knee-high boots and is holding a broom. The other is wearing an outfit of pink and green. There are other women sitting in chairs around the outside of the room, watching.

Two women standing and facing each other. Both have their hands folded. There are other women sitting in chairs around the outside of the room, watching.

Five women sitting in chairs talking to each other.

Five women sitting around a table. A poster in the background reads, “Vida Verde. Brazilian Women’s Co-op. Environmentally Sound Cleaning.”

Two women sitting at a table facing each other and laughing. In the forefront of the image on the table, light blue cards are visible reading “Vote November 4. Yes on 4.”

Six people sitting around a table. There are papers and a phone on the table.

Two adults and four children sitting at a table.

Three people sitting at a table in conversation. The man in the foreground is flipping through papers.

People at tables facing a presentation that reads, “Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor and The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Valuing the work that makes all other work possible.”

Eight women standing together facing the camera and smiling. One woman in the front holds paper that reads “Thirteenth Annual Labor Seder.”

A woman and a man dressed in business attire sit at a desk. The man is reading through papers and is holding a pen.

From Ai-Jen Poo

of the National Domestic Workers Alliance

I'm writing from the Clinton Global Initiative’s CGI America conference in Denver, where I'm getting ready to take the stage with Former President Bill Clinton to announce a major new partnership for fair and sustainable care.

At around 5:30 PM Eastern Time on June 10, 2015, President Clinton will recognize the Fair Care Pledge, a project of NDWA and Hand in Hand. The pledge allows families to affirm that they will do their best to be fair employers when they hire a childcare provider, housecleaner, or home attendant — and will be endorsed by our first national partner, Care.com, the largest online care marketplace.

I’m so proud to be here for this big announcement, representing the thousands of people like you — domestic workers, domestic employers, and supporters of domestic workers’ rights — who have helped make this moment possible.

Will you add your support for fair employment and sign the Pledge?

If you’re not a domestic employer, can you forward this email to any friends of yours who employ childcare providers, housecleaners, or home attendants?

The Pledge asks families to make their home a workplace they can be proud of by committing to three practices of fair employment: Fair Pay, Clear Expectations and Paid Time Off. Whether you are currently an employer, expect to become one, or want to honor a domestic worker who worked with your family in the past, I hope you’ll sign on and help get the word out.

This is a big moment for our movement. CGI America’s leaders chose to feature the Fair Care Pledge, and our partnership with Care.com, on the mainstage with President Clinton “in recognition of [our] exemplary approach to addressing critical domestic challenges.”

As I wait in the wings here in Denver, I am energized knowing that from state capitols to the private sector, the movement for fairness, dignity and sustainable jobs for domestic workers continues to gain ground.

There will be more to come soon. But for now, I hope you’ll sign the Pledge and tune in to see me on stage with President Clinton in Denver!

In love and solidarity,

Ai-Jen Poo
Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

p.s. If you’ve already signed the pledge, can you share it with your friends?