OLYMPIA — Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, and Rep. Brianna Thomas (D-West Seattle) announced the reintroduction of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights — Senate Bill 6053 and House Bill 2355. The companion bills would create clear, enforceable labor protections for domestic workers across Washington. 

The bills define a domestic worker as anyone paid for four or more hours of domestic work in a private home each month. This includes nannies, child care providers, home or personal care workers, housekeepers, cooks, gardeners and household managers, whether they are hourly employees, salaried workers, or independent contractors. 

Domestic workers are essential to families and communities, yet have long been excluded from basic workplace protections. The legislation seeks to address historic inequities and ensure dignity, safety and fairness for workers whose labor allows families to work, children to thrive, and elders to age with dignity. 

“Domestic workers are the reason so many of us can show up to our jobs, know our children are safe, and trust that our loved ones are cared for,” Saldaña said. “Their work is demanding and deeply human, and for far too long, the people doing it have been invisible and unprotected. This bill is deeply personal to me. So many Latinas, immigrants, and women of color have carried this burden without the protections they deserve. In my final year in the Legislature, I am committed to delivering justice and dignity for domestic workers.” 

“The protections put forth in this bill are not theoretical to me; they are real and necessary,” Thomas said. “I helped my mother clean homes as a child, so I understand the fear and anxiety that comes with a job where one wrong word or a simple mistake could get you fired. I’m familiar with stories of domestic workers working through illness, falling into homelessness, or being forced to put the well-being of themselves and their families on the backburner to care for others. The people who care for our homes and our loved ones deserve a work environment where they are respected and protected. As a Legislature, this is something we can make a reality, and this is our moment to do so.” 

The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights would: 

  • Guarantee minimum wage and overtime pay 
  • Require written agreements and a notice of rights 
  • Require advance notice of termination — two weeks for most workers and four weeks for live-in workers 
  • Prohibit hostile work environments, harassment and retaliation 
  • Ban confiscation of personal documents and personal effects 
  • Prohibit invasive surveillance and monitoring in private spaces 
  • Prohibit forced arbitration, nondisclosure and noncompete agreements 
  • Create administrative remedies and civil causes of action for violations 
  • Establish civil rights protections by making it an unfair practice to discriminate in pay or termination based on a protected class under the Washington Law Against Discrimination 

Domestic work has historically been performed by women, immigrants, and people of color and was intentionally excluded from many labor laws. As a result, thousands of workers in Washington still lack basic protections. This legislation is the result of years of advocacy by domestic workers, labor organizations, and community leaders who have shared stories of wage theft, unsafe conditions, discrimination, and retaliation. 

SB 6053 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 20. 

HB 2355 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 20.