The Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights that Gov. David Paterson signed earlier this year assured nannies and housekeepers of three paid days off per year after 12 months on the job and included them under basic discrimination laws. It didn't, however, give them the right to join a union.  But the law did compel the state Department of Labor to study the feasibility of domestic workers bargaining collectively.  And in a new report, the DOL lays out potential paths for domestic workers to unionize, though it acknowledges the process won't be straightforward because of the industry's special circumstances.

The report—required under the Bill of Rights—shows that including domestic workers under the State Employment Relations Act “is a critical first step in the organizing process.”  The state's 200,000 domestic workers and their advocates had hoped the Bill of Rights would bring domestic workers under state laws governing collective bargaining, but it did not go that far. And benefits usually obtained at the negotiating table—like paid sick days, paid holidays, notice of termination, and severance pay—were not included in the final version of the bill. (click on link to read full story)