Earlier this spring, UUC congregants met with representatives from Hand in Hand, a national organization advocating for domestic workers, to learn how to protect the rights of house cleaners, nannies, home care workers and others they might employ. We also learned that many domestic workers are immigrants facing additional stress and threats in their lives.

The workshop was sponsored by UUC's Social Justice Steering Committee.

If you hire a domestic worker in Seattle (and soon, in Washington state more generally), you may be a legal “employer” and have an obligation to: 

• Pay minimum wage, sick and safe time, and overtime pay
• Provide rest and meal breaks
• Allow workers to keep their personal and identifying documents
• Create a workplace safe from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation 
• Provide a notice of rights (not mandatory, but supportive!)

Seattle has had a domestic workers ordinance since 2019.

The state Legislature recently passed a bill that will take effect in 2027. Under the new Washington state law, employers will also need to have a written contract with employees who work more than four hours a month.

But this is just the beginning. If you’re ready to create a safer workplace, you can find a more complete guide  and Washington-specific resource list to support building trust, developing workplace accommodations that make sense for your employee, and thinking through the types of concrete support that you can offer them. This may be especially helpful for immigrant workers.

There are over 100,000 domestic workers in Washington state and just as many employers. Hand in Hand is inviting people to host kitchen table conversations to share their experiences as an employer with their neighbors and friends to help ensure that all of Washington’s domestic workers have full access to their rights. If you are interested in hosting one, please reach out to Erica at erica@domesticemployers.org.