Reply to Au Pair just asked for more money

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Reply to "Au Pair just asked for more money"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Domestic Workers are denied basic labor rights. The issue is not whether one can get away with following the minimum letter of the law, but whether their actions are justifiable knowing that the law should be (MA laws for nanny’s and au pairs) or ethically justifiable.

When most of our country’s labor laws, like the Fair Labor Standards Act, were drafted, domestic workers were not included. There are pending bills in DMV and in the Congress that will change that soon. Workplace standards like a minimum wage, overtime pay, or protections against sexual harassment in the workplace are rarely extended to domestic workers, if at all. Many domestic workers do not earn a living wage and work without access to health care, paid sick days or paid time off. [/quote]

Live-out domestic workers are protected by every single one of those.  Live-in domestic workers (other than APs) are entitled to minimum wage and pay for every minute worked (no, we don’t get overtime, but most of us are fine with it).  Every nanny I know who is legally allowed to work in the US has a contract that spells out the rate, guaranteed hours, vacation, sick leave and any other benefits.  Some of us have partially or fully funded healthcare through our employers, but some of us (myself included) do the math to realize it’s better for us to have a higher rate and pay for our own healthcare.

APs are glorified babysitters.  They’re great for families who need a split shift with elementary kids.  They’re great for families who have a hard time finding a target language.  They’re great for families who luck out and find a gem who actually knows how to teach toddlers/preschoolers and doesn’t mind working 45 hours every week.  But not only are APs not for every family, a lot of them exaggerate their experience, and they’re just here to party.  There are some that want to send money home or save their money for a nest egg; those are the APs who are having the best time right now.[/quote]

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