Though substantively similar, the two states’ laws arrived at and passed their state legislatures in vastly different ways.
U.S. activists were instrumental to the passage of international domestic workers’ treaty—which the U.S. is unlikely to ratify in the near future.
Scrappy advocates representing domestic workers throughout the country may be realizing victories of even deeper significance than a person holding a politically-appointed position ever could.
Feminists need to pay more attention to domestic workers’ rights, especially in light of how hard domestic workers toil not just in their jobs, but also to advocate for their own basic workplace protections.
Legal protections for domestic workers have historically been weak. But despite a major loss in California at the hands of Governor Jerry Brown, the domestic workers’ rights movement and its supporters feel the tide may be turning in their favor.
Once the election is finally over, Congress will decide whether to keep provisions of VAWA that could pose challenges for domestic workers toiling in private homes throughout the United States.
In a move that stunned activists, California’s domestic workers bill of rights was vetoed Sunday. But this will not deter the tenacious organizers at NDWA who are both motivated by love and armed with a multifaceted strategy.
