Housekeepers, nannies, caregivers and their supporters came together Jan. 12 for a rally in Albany to urge passage of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights — a piece of legislation they say is long overdue to "reverse a history of injustice."

The proposed legislation, sponsored in the Senate by Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, (S.2311-a) and in the Assembly by Keith Wright, D-Manhattan, (A.1470-a), would grant domestic workers many of the same protections the majority of the workforce receives — overtime pay, at least one day off per week, the ability to sue their employer for suspected wage theft, severance and paid sick, holiday and vacation days.

Wright first introduced the legislation in the Assembly six years ago, but the first time it passed in that house was in late June 2009 by a vote of 98 to 44. The Senate's version of the bill was not voted on last session.

The bill had previously experienced resistance from "certain lawmakers" who "had a problem with the fact that there were criminal penalties for mistreatment in the original bill," according to Ben Rosen, Wright's communication director.
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