June 21, 2019
Domestic service workers are employees that work in a home. This can mean maids, nannies, household managers, and more. Domestic work is very common in the state of California, but many people do not realize that their rights are actually protected under the law.
The California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights outlines appropriate work time scheduling. The bill clearly states that domestic workers must be afforded 12 consecutive hours away from work for every 24-hour period. If a domestic worker works for more than 12 hours in a single day, they are entitled to overtime pay. This means that their pay-rate increases to 150% of what it normally is, per hour, for every hour above 12 that they work.
For example, let’s say that a live-in nanny normally works from 8 am to 8 pm at a rate of $15/hour. For a normal 12-hour day, that nanny would earn $180. If a parent is stuck late at work and asks the nanny to care for the child for an extra 2 hours, the nanny’s pay rate rises to $22.5 for the extra two hours. On the hypothetical day that the nanny works 14 hours, she would earn $225 ($180+$22.5+$22.5).
If you or a loved one perform domestic work, make sure that their rights are protected.
