What's happening
This bill requires employers of domestic workers in New York to enter into written contracts outlining job duties, hours, pay, and leave.
Why it matters
Creates enforceable standards for domestic work. By requiring written contracts that specify job duties, hours, pay, and leave, the bill helps ensure that domestic workers—often excluded from formal labor protections—have clear, documented terms of employment, reducing ambiguity and potential exploitation.
Mandates employer accountability. Employers are legally required to formalize agreements, making it harder to avoid obligations related to overtime, leave, and fair wages, and providing domestic workers with documentation they can reference if disputes arise.
Formalizes a historically informal sector. Domestic work has traditionally operated outside of typical labor regulations. This bill moves the industry toward greater professionalization, potentially increasing respect, job security, and negotiating power for domestic workers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Contracts for Domestic Workers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2103
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. DICKENS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to establishing a contract for the employment of domestic workers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 201-h to read as follows:
§ 201-h. Domestic worker contracts. 1. The commissioner shall establish the form and content of contracts for the employment of domestic workers. Every such contract shall include:
a. a description of the employment and the duties that are expected to be performed in the course of such employment;
b. the expected number of hours of work per week;
c. provisions for vacation, holiday, personal and sick leave;
d. the rate of wages paid for such employment; and
e. consent to work overtime.
2. No person shall employ any domestic worker unless such person has entered into a written contract, meeting the requirements of subdivision one of this section, with each domestic worker employed.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06492-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.