Labor laws largely exclude nannies. Some are banding together to protect themselves

By CLAIRE SAVAGE and MORIAH BALINGIT
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Nannies, housekeepers, and home care workers are excluded from many federal workplace protections in the United States, and the private, home-based nature of the work means abuse tends to happen behind closed doors. Domestic workers, who make less than half of what a typical worker makes and are disproportionately women and immigrant women, are especially vulnerable to workplace violations and discrimination, experts say. Even in the 11 states with laws on the books that protect domestic workers, those often go unenforced. But nannies across the nation are lobbying lawmakers for better protections and training their peers on how to exercise their rights.