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Calling for the creation of a Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force and appointing a (9) Person Task Force to consider, analyze, make recommendations to City Council’s Committee of Law and Government and the Mayor’s Office of Labor, for the City on the legal protections, benefits, and working conditions for domestic workers.
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WHEREAS, After winning the International Labor Organization Convention 189, domestic workers have continued on with building the International Domestic Workers Federation: a strong, democratic and united domestic workers global organization to protect and advance domestic workers’ rights everywhere; and
WHEREAS, In just nine years between 2010 to present, nine states and one municipality have passed Domestic Workers’ Bills of Rights in the U.S. representing a historic step forward for domestic work being recognized as real work and establishing labor protections; and
WHEREAS, The establishment of these protections bring integrity and legitimacy to an industry that has historically been denied similar protections given to other sectors. The City Council of Philadelphia is committed to continuing to raise the standards of this industry and lift up Domestic Workers from unregulated and unprotected work environments by working with the good acting employers who continue to support and offer benefits to these workers across our city; and
WHEREAS, Domestic Workers have an inherent right to be able to demand more from their industry and be able to engage in dialoguing with employers and government to determine fair standards that honors their humanity; and
WHEREAS, City Council seeks to establish a (9) person task force entitled the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force which will provide a forum for hiring entities, domestic workers, worker organizations, and the public to consider, analyze, make recommendations to City Council’s Committee on Law and Government and the Mayor’s Office of Labor, for the City on the legal protections, benefits, requirements on tax payments, discrimination and sexual harassment, and working conditions for domestic workers. The Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force will also make recommendations to the City's outreach and enforcement strategies in regard to Domestic Workers; and
WHEREAS, The Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force shall be composed of members based on their expertise in labor standards, wage theft, law, and policy; and
WHEREAS, The Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force shall meet at least quarterly, and all meetings shall be open to the public; and
WHEREAS, The Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force shall create by-laws in order to conduct and structure future meetings including but not limited to scheduling quarterly meetings, determining recommended timetables for submission of recommendations to City Council, the Mayor’s Office of Labor, and City Council’s Committee on Law and Government, determining term lengths and appointments of individuals to the Task Force; and
WHEREAS, All City Departments, Agencies, Boards, and Commissions are encouraged to support and cooperate with the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force and provide the board with any data it may need which may include logistical support in regard to translation, interpretation, and outreach; and
WHEREAS, The Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force will be compromised of various stakeholders from the private, non-profit sectors, all level of government and will have representation from members of the City Council Committee on Law and Government as well as the Mayor’s Office of Labor; and
WHEREAS, The Mayor shall submit to City Council a list of recommendations to serve on the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force, which will make appointments to the task force; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council hereby creates a Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force to consider, analyze and make recommendations to City Council’s Committee of Law and Government and the Mayor’s Office of Labor regarding legal protections, benefits, and working conditions for domestic workers.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the members of the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force shall be as follows:
1) The Chair of City Council’s Committee on Law and Government will serve as Chair unless the role is delegated to another member of City Council by the Chair of the Law and Government Committee.
2) A representative of The Mayor’s Office of Labor will serve as the Vice-Chair of the Task Force.
3) City Council will appoint (9) members of the Domestic Workers Standards and Implementation Task Force based on recommendations made by the Mayor, which shall include representatives from the following organizations:
a. Chair of City Council’s Committee on Law and Government
b. Councilwoman Sánchez Office
c. Mayor’s Office of Labor
d. Domestic Workers Alliance
e. Community Legal Services (CLS)
f. Domestic Workers
g. Domestic Worker Employers
FURTHER RESOLVED, That in the event that any named organization shall decline to name a representative, be unable to do so, or ceases to exist, the Chair shall designate a successor organization of generally similar character, which shall thereupon be entitled to select a member for appointment to the Task Force.
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