Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email: cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
Seattle Office of Labor Standards Issues Proposed Administrative Rules for Seattle’s Domestic Workers Ordinance
Public comments on proposed rules accepted until October 21, 2019
Seattle, WA – (September 20, 2019) The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) has issued proposed administrative rules for the Domestic Workers Ordinance (SMC 14.23). The Ordinance provides minimum wage, rest break, and meal break rights to domestic workers who provide paid services to a household in a private home as a nanny, house cleaner, home care worker, gardener, cook, and/or household manager. When final, the rules will be designated as part of Chapter 160 of the Seattle Human Rights Rules (SHRR).
Members of the public have 30 days – until October 21, 2019, at 5:00 pm PST – to comment on the proposed rules. The full text of the rules is available by clicking here or on the OLS website: www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/domestic-workers-ordinance. After the comment period ends, OLS will consider all feedback and issue final rules by November 2019.
Please send comments by email to jasmine.marwaha@seattle.gov or by regular mail to:
Seattle Office of Labor Standards
810 Third Ave., Suite 375
Seattle, WA 98104-1627
Attn: Jasmine Marwaha, OLS Policy Analyst
You can also comment by calling 206-256-5297.
The new rules will clarify issues raised by the Ordinance. For example, the rules will give guidance on such questions as which workers are exempt from the ordinance, and how proper meal periods and rest breaks can be ensured. The rules will also clarify that the definition of a “hiring entity” (i.e. those responsible for providing protections to domestic workers) includes, but is not limited to, those who:
- Have the power to determine the amount that hiring entities pay for domestic services;
- Have the power to determine the amount that domestic workers receive for services provided;
- Have the power to facilitate or terminate the domestic worker’s relationship with the hiring entity, including the addition, removal, or promotion of the worker on an online platform; or
- Engage a subcontractor to perform all or part of the agreed upon services.
For more information about the Domestic Workers Ordinance, and Seattle’s other labor standards, visit https://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards or call 206-256-5297. ###