A measure that would recognize the legal rights of domestic workers
in Illinois is expected to go up for a vote in the state Senate
Thursday.
The Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights Act, SB 1708,
sponsored by State Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), would require that employers
of nannies, house cleaners and caregivers pay their workers no less than the minimum wage and allow for a least one day off a week.
The
measure, which has 13 co-sponsors in the Senate, would also require
written contracts and guarantee the right to paid time off, pay for all
work hours, meal and rest periods, and an environment free from sexual
harassment.
“It’s basically time to really cut some of the last
remaining, obvious cords connected to slavery that we still have,” said
Eric Rodriguez, executive director of the Latino Union of Chicago, one of the lead organizations pushing for the bill.
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Northern Mexico is in the grips of one of the worst droughts in its
history. Acres upon acres of crops have been wiped out so far, and more
than two million people are without reliable water.