When we celebrate today, will we celebrate all women? Will we celebrate Latinas and other women of color? As a country, will we celebrate the domestic workers, mostly women, who take care of our homes, nurture our children, and care for our aging family members?
The stories and history of women of color, who have worked as indentured servants and slaves from the birth of our nation, are made invisible as we celebrate the achievements in gender equality. Even today, the wage gap harms Latinx women the most, with a $1,007,080 lifetime loss in income compared to a White man. In particular, Latinx women are more likely to work as domestic workers in states like California, continuing the history of invisibility.
That’s why today, August 26th, which celebrates National Women’s Equality Day—a commemoration of the anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote is bittersweet. Black and other women of color, although playing a pivotal role in the adoption of the 19th Amendment, were not granted their right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Latinx (and other immigrant) women’s right to vote was not solidified until 1975, when the Voting Rights Act was extended to “language minorities.” By marking today as the celebration of all women’s right to vote, we keep our lens of history selective, forgetting the history and dignity of women of color whose blood and sweat built the nation.
To truly celebrate women, we must hear the stories of all women. In that pursuit, the California Domestic Workers Coalition and its partners, including Presente.org, while fighting to establish a permanent Worker’s Bill of Rights in California, are asking the question:
When did you discover your self-worth? #DignityRising.
The responses from all over the country have been powerful:
Discrimination against domestic workers, the very people that care for our futures and the most vulnerable members of our society is some of the worst in the country. HomeEconomics: The Invisible and Unregulated World of Domestic Workers found that the National Labor Relations Act bars domestic workers, specifically, from bargaining collectively or forming unions. Domestic workers work with toxic products in the home and yet are denied protection under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Federal laws protecting against discrimination, like the Civil Rights Act and the Americans With Disability Act, only protect multiple employees sites, resulting in de facto discrimination as domestic workers are most frequently single employees privately hired. Finally, domestic workers are denied overtime protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Taking action today for a permanent Worker’s Bill of Rights in California is imperative. SB1015 is a permanent extension of AB241 which granted overtime protection for domestic workers only until 2017. On August 18, SB1015 passed in the Assembly, now let’s make sure it gets signed at the Governor’s desk.
Today, let’s celebrate the opportunity to have a different future, one that values all women. We have an opportunity to honor the dignity of domestic workers in California by passing SB1015. Tell your story of self-worth and tell the Governor to sign SB1015. #DignityRising.
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Reetu Mody
Policy Associate, Presente.org
@PresenteOrg