Reply to Senate Bill No. 804 – VIRGINIA - Minimum Wage for Au Pairs

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Reply to "Senate Bill No. 804 – VIRGINIA - Minimum Wage for Au Pairs"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Dear Jean M Quin:
The program could continue to be equally affordable to families but (gasp) less profitable to the agency. There are choices as to who absorbs the difference. [/quote]

Yes, that is the huge difference. I think elsewhere where labor laws require them to make more, the agencies only charge a couple thousand which is MUCH more reasonable than the $9k-11k currently charged. This would be just about the only way the program survives. [/quote]

But the companies won't. There will still be states where $7.25 is the minimum wage. So, there will be aupairs there. The elite in other places will have aupairs. Those who need 10-15 hours of work will have aupairs (but they won't make any more than $195.75). 
The program will shrink considerably. It seems that aupairs are fine with that outcome. They could make more money if they are one of the lucky few who can get a visa.

None of this will protect aupairs from abuse. Au pairs have a mechanism to mitigate abusing families. From rematch to simply quitting the program, they are protected by more of a support system that live-in nannies. It's hard to deal with rematch or the concern that you won't find a family or will need to pay a flight home, but none of that will be fixed by a higher wage. Reform needs to be done within the oversight and the companies themselves.

While these laws/lawsuits have effectively lessened the amount of host families for years to come, which may make oversight easier by the companies and the state department, it has not addressed the actual structure which is the issue.

I am disappointed that I see this as the end of the program. Some will continue to host, but the vast majority of host parents will not. We need maybe 10 hours a week of childcare if we limit some of the tasks we have our au pair doing now. We could end up paying the $195.75 even at minimum wage. She doesn't work much more than that now. I wouldn't compromise on hours, vacations or extra "things" for her in the future if I needed to have an hourly system. We could make it work, but I'm not sure why we couldn't look into other options which don't have the uncertainty of a wage hike or program overhauls sprung on us as employers. 
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