The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. We work for respect and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, including nannies, house cleaners, and home care workers. We are powered by 70 affiliate and chapter organizations across the country. NDWA’s DC Area Chapter has a base of about 600 workers, many of whom live and work in Virginia.

The coronavirus emergency has had devastating consequences for domestic workers. Many are essential workers who have continued providing care throughout the pandemic, often without access to PPE.

NDWA strongly supports the proposed Emergency Temporary Standard/Emergency Regulation. The Governor and the Department of Labor & Industry (DOLI) should be proud of their leadership in producing this critical regulation. Virginia’s domestic workers will benefit immensely from this proposal.

• Without a financial safety net, domestic workers may face a wrenching choice between working in unsafe conditions or losing their income. Our organization collects information from tens of thousands of domestic workers across the country each week. As of June 10, 82% of surveyed workers said they had earned less than $300 in their best week since coronavirus started. 59% were unable to pay their rent or mortgage for June, and 53% were unsure about being able to pay for food in the next two weeks. Domestic workers simply can’t afford to lose their jobs. That is why the proposed emergency regulation is critical to ensuring domestic workers can continue to work in safe and dignified conditions. In particular, the anti-retaliation protections in the proposed emergency regulation are necessary to ensure that domestic workers can assert their right to safe working conditions without fear of reprisal.
• Nationally, just one in five domestic workers receives health insurance through her job. Economic Policy Institute, Domestic Workers Chartbook (May 14, 2020), https://www.epi.org/publication/domestic-workers-chartbook-a-comprehensive-look-at-the-demographics-wages-benefits-and-poverty-rates-of-the-professionals-who-care-for-our-family-members-and-clean-our-homes/. Therefore, preventing exposure to health risks is vitally important for these workers.

To improve the proposed emergency regulation, NDWA urges DOLI to secure additional resources for robust outreach and education in the 10 most commonly spoken languages in Virginia. Language access is paramount to fully realize the regulation’s protections.

Virginia’s domestic workers need emergency health and safety regulations to keep them safe at work. NDWA commends the Health and Safety Codes Board for undertaking this important work, and supports the proposed emergency regulation.