the Nanny Diaries

Quite recently while walking down the street I saw an ad on a pole which read "Dog Walker for hire, $12 for half and $20 for a hour". When i saw this i had a terrible feeling within my gut to see that employers do not want to pay their Domestic worker a livable wage for taking care of their prized possession (namely their children) but they are willing to pay $20 a hour to have their dog walked. Thinking about this for a moment then clearly made me realise what or who they consider their prized possession. Here in a Global City like New York domestic Workers are treated less than human beings yet they continue to do the work that make all other work possible allowing their employers to go to work and have leisure time. Some domestic workers earn as little as $250 per week, some cant even afford to pay their or afford the necessity of a telephone. With no laws to protect us, no right to collective bargaining and no right to organize we are left at the whim of these employers. It is about time that we be given respect and recognition for the work we do , as a former proud nanny (who contributed a lot into educating and building a solid foundation for those in my care) i can identify some of the abuse and exploitation workers faced within this industry. There is a solution to these problems, this solution is The Domestic Workers Bill Of Rights it is about time this bill be pass to reverse the history of injustice that Domestic workers face, it is about respect, recognity and dignity ,it is about fair labour standards and most of all its about HUMANITY.