New York is on the verge of becoming the first state to require overtime pay and one day off a week for domestic workers after the state Senate on Tuesday passed landmark legislation extending those rights to more than 200,000 housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers in the state.
The state Assembly passed a similar bill last year and lawmakers must reconcile the differences in the bills. The new law would take effect Jan.1.
State Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat, told the Associated Press:
New York has long been a leader in protecting the rights of workers. We enacted child labor laws long before the federal government did and were the first to pass labor protections for those toiling in sweatshops. continue reading