In California there’s been quite a bit of talk and some hysteria over a proposed bill, The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights or California 889. The bill essentially requires domestic workers to be paid minimum wage and time and one-half based on the same rules as other workers. It also requires employers to give their employee a paycheck stub that reports hours worked, pay, and deductions.
The provision that’s causing some hysteria and panic amongst families is the provision that requires the employer to give the nanny a 10 minute break every 4 hours and a 30 minute break every 5 hours. People are saying they’ll have to hire two nannies to cover the time off. Does that really make sense? Don’t nannies get breaks now when the child is napping or watching TV? How is this different from a mom talking on the phone and keeping an eye on her child at the same time? Or, mom grabbing lunch while keeping an eye on their child. Surely, the law doesn’t intend a break where the nanny leaves the child alone. Personally, I think this reaction has to do more with people claiming “nanny state” than reality.
The part of the bill that will cause some pain will impact mainly seniors that have caregivers and senior care agencies. This is because of the rules requiring live-in caregivers to have 8 hours off to sleep in a 24 hour shift and rules regarding pay. This could be painful to seniors since it could drive up the cost of caregivers.
From what I’ve heard a similar-sounding law in NY state has had little impact on how nanny employers and employees work. For those interested here’s a link to an interview our nanny Claudia and I gave to NBC Los Angeles.
