Posted on 01/29/2008 11:35:46 AM PST by JZelle
The Montgomery County Council yesterday proposed legislation that would require domestic workers and their employers to sign contracts to ensure that the workers receive fair wages, overtime and other protections against abuse.
Council members Marc Elrich and George Leventhal, both at-large Democrats, proposed the legislation, which they called the first of its kind in the nation. It would allow workers who spend at least 20 hours a week as housekeepers, nannies or adult-care attendants to negotiate their work conditions and pay.
The lawmakers said a written contract would offer protection for workers, most of them immigrant women, who are vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment from employers because they don't have clear agreements outlining their employment terms.
"All our constituents deserve basic protections, basic rights," Mr. Leventhal said.
Other council members said the proposal could cause problems for employers and the domestic workers, especially if they are illegal aliens.
An employment contract for a domestic worker who is an illegal alien is not legally binding, said council member Duchy Trachtenberg, at-large Democrat. It would force illegal aliens to either reveal their illegal status or use false identification, such as a stolen Social Security number. That could expose them to prosecution and deportation, she said.
"The bill potentially provides false promises to domestic workers," said Miss Trachtenberg, who favors greater education for domestic workers on their existing labor rights.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Guess we in Northern Virginia better prepare for some more Montgomery County emigres....
Just amazing to me that someone here illegally can actually have “labor rights”? The only right I figure they have is the right to go back where they came from.
Sounds like somebody (or several somebodies) is up for re-election.
Domestic workers in Montgomery County, prepare to go part-time!
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
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