Au Pair just asked for more money

[Anonymous]

If you discount room, board and money for education, the minimum stipend works out at $4.35 for each hour of a 45-hour week. This is because au pairs are regulated not by the Department of Labour but by the Department of State, which considers the programme to be a form of cultural exchange and grassroots diplomacy. Colin Seeberger of the Centre for American Progress, a progressive think-tank in Washington, puts it bluntly: “Cheap au-pair labour shouldn’t really exist.”

[Anonymous]

Activists scored a victory in June when the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that requires au pairs in Massachusetts to be paid the state’s minimum wage of $12.75 an hour. That thrilled pressure groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which are now multiplying suits against the programme. Expect fireworks.

[Anonymous]

I have been following this thread. Is it legal to hire an American to watch your children but pay less than minimum wage? If you let them live in your in law suite or finished basement and provided food and a car?

There just seems like nothing between an AP and a nanny, which is out of reach for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Activists scored a victory in June when the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that requires au pairs in Massachusetts to be paid the state’s minimum wage of $12.75 an hour. That thrilled pressure groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which are now multiplying suits against the programme. Expect fireworks.

It will be a big loss of the program shuts down.

[Anonymous]

I had 3 working class, fairly religious au pairs from Brazil. I paid them $200 per week and they were thrilled. Free room and board, a class or 2 at ESL school where they met others from Brazil, no car but an unlimited metro and bus pass. They did extra babysitting for friends and they sent that money home to their parents. They spent Sundays all day at church (Mormon). They never asked for a dime extra becuase as a single mom with a child they knew I did not have it. Wonderful wonderful girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been following this thread. Is it legal to hire an American to watch your children but pay less than minimum wage? If you let them live in your in law suite or finished basement and provided food and a car?

There just seems like nothing between an AP and a nanny, which is out of reach for many.

Yes, because in that scenario you would be deducting the cost of room, board, and transportation- that’s thousands of dollars per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Activists scored a victory in June when the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that requires au pairs in Massachusetts to be paid the state’s minimum wage of $12.75 an hour. That thrilled pressure groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which are now multiplying suits against the programme. Expect fireworks.

It will be a big loss of the program shuts down.

To whom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been following this thread. Is it legal to hire an American to watch your children but pay less than minimum wage? If you let them live in your in law suite or finished basement and provided food and a car?

There just seems like nothing between an AP and a nanny, which is out of reach for many.

Yes, because in that scenario you would be deducting the cost of room, board, and transportation- that’s thousands of dollars per year.

No, DoL allows deduction of $77/wk max: $35 for room. Kamala Harris Bill is pending that should put stop
to abuses. https://www.harris.senate.gov/news/press-releases/harris-jayapal-announce-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights

A live-in nanny should receive the same rate of pay you would consider for a live-out caregiver. The fact that they receive room and board shouldn’t lessen their pay.

According to the International Nanny Association’s 2017 Salary and Benefits Survey, the national average hourly rate for a full-time nanny is $19.14/hour. There wasn’t much difference in pay rate for live-in and live-out employees.

Live-in nannies are considered hourly workers and need to be paid the highest applicable minimum wage of the federal, state, and local rates.

As mentioned, they are paid for all hours they’re on duty and “on call.” If your live-in nanny needs to be at your home and isn’t free to leave, then they need to be paid for those hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Activists scored a victory in June when the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that requires au pairs in Massachusetts to be paid the state’s minimum wage of $12.75 an hour. That thrilled pressure groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which are now multiplying suits against the programme. Expect fireworks.

It will be a big loss of the program shuts down.

No. It will simply mean that you can no longer use young women/men as indentured servants. It is an evil program and should have been done awsy with decades ago. If you can't afford child care than don't have children!

[Anonymous]

I will offer minimum wage, happily, to the angel who cares for our children. We have been basically paying that anyway during the pandemic, so let's make it official and be on the up-and-up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will offer minimum wage, happily, to the angel who cares for our children. We have been basically paying that anyway during the pandemic, so let's make it official and be on the up-and-up.

I agree, the person at our firm who probably earns the least is our receptionist, and she still probably earns more than our AP. We voted Biden-Harris and want to empower vulnerable populations. Let's take a closer, new look at things.

[Anonymous]

That’s admirable. To my surprise, I discovered that this would be our first ever domestic workers bill of rights. Once it’s hopefully passed, we need to make sure states don’t enforce exemptions or exclude au pairs (as in MD/VA) and live in nannies. MA is the gold standard and DC is progressive enough to head straight there. That still leaves the issue of affordable childcare more broadly and with so many Americans requiring good work, one would think we could up our investment in government-sponsored quality childcare or some type of PPP.

more details here:
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ONE%20PAGER%20National%20Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights.pdf
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20Summary.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s admirable. To my surprise, I discovered that this would be our first ever domestic workers bill of rights. Once it’s hopefully passed, we need to make sure states don’t enforce exemptions or exclude au pairs (as in MD/VA) and live in nannies. MA is the gold standard and DC is progressive enough to head straight there. That still leaves the issue of affordable childcare more broadly and with so many Americans requiring good work, one would think we could up our investment in government-sponsored quality childcare or some type of PPP.

more details here:
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ONE%20PAGER%20National%20Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights.pdf
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20Summary.pdf[/quote

Thank you, this is the minimum!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s admirable. To my surprise, I discovered that this would be our first ever domestic workers bill of rights. Once it’s hopefully passed, we need to make sure states don’t enforce exemptions or exclude au pairs (as in MD/VA) and live in nannies. MA is the gold standard and DC is progressive enough to head straight there. That still leaves the issue of affordable childcare more broadly and with so many Americans requiring good work, one would think we could up our investment in government-sponsored quality childcare or some type of PPP.

more details here:
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ONE%20PAGER%20National%20Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights.pdf
https://www.harris.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Domestic%20Workers%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20Summary.pdf[/quote

Thank you, this is the minimum!

NY is more progressive than DC - and carves-out the AP program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been following this thread. Is it legal to hire an American to watch your children but pay less than minimum wage? If you let them live in your in law suite or finished basement and provided food and a car?

There just seems like nothing between an AP and a nanny, which is out of reach for many.

Yes, because in that scenario you would be deducting the cost of room, board, and transportation- that’s thousands of dollars per year.

No, DoL allows deduction of $77/wk max: $35 for room. Kamala Harris Bill is pending that should put stop
to abuses. https://www.harris.senate.gov/news/press-releases/harris-jayapal-announce-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights

A live-in nanny should receive the same rate of pay you would consider for a live-out caregiver. The fact that they receive room and board shouldn’t lessen their pay.

According to the International Nanny Association’s 2017 Salary and Benefits Survey, the national average hourly rate for a full-time nanny is $19.14/hour. There wasn’t much difference in pay rate for live-in and live-out employees.

Live-in nannies are considered hourly workers and need to be paid the highest applicable minimum wage of the federal, state, and local rates.

As mentioned, they are paid for all hours they’re on duty and “on call.” If your live-in nanny needs to be at your home and isn’t free to leave, then they need to be paid for those hours.

You are smoking something great, clearly. Room and board is a benefit and the nanny is taxed on the benefit as income....so of course it is part of a compensation package. Nannies are free to leave when they are not working....crazy!