Letter to Senator Hernandez, Essay Example

I am writing you today to strongly urge you to vote in favor of Assembly Bill 889- Fair Labor Standards for Domestic Workers- next year. It has passed the Assembly vote and though currently suspended will likely be up for vote in the Senate in the coming year. As I am sure you are aware this bill concerns the equal rights of domestic workers in California to those in other industries. You have expressed support of this bill in the past and the constituents of your district 24 hope you will uphold your promise in the upcoming year.

As a concerned and active citizen I also intend to do my part to solve this problem. I will to write to your colleagues in the Senate to urge them to follow the example of the Assembly and pass this bill in the future. Personally, I will continue to advocate on behalf of domestic workers engaged by my neighbors, friends and families.

I support this bill for the many possibilities it has for improving the living and working situations for so many Californians. There are approximately 200,000 people today working as domestic servants who would benefit from the passing of this bill.  Many of these hard working individuals are the sole bread winners of their families and rely on these positions to support their children and families. Consequently this bill has the potential to not only positivelyaffect individuals but also the children of the workers. The predominance of immigrant women in the domestic sector makes this an issue of women’s rights. It also affects a disproportionate number of migrants who come to this great nation to make a better life for themselves and their children. Should they be disavowed their basic human rights, it would be an affront to the American values of hard work and supporting one’s family to the best of your ability. This bill could help them to achieve these goals.

Some have sensationalized the effects of this bill claiming that it will negatively affect the average middle class family who is simply looking for a babysitter on Saturday night and will now be forced to report to the state on working conditions and minimum wage pay. This is a gross exaggeration. The legislators who have drafted and redrafted this piece of legislation have of course considered these scenarios and exclude workers under the age of 18 and family members. It is tailored to the situation of those 200,000 men and women working as domestic workers, such as cooks, cleaners and nannies, under poor conditions and this bill would simply require their employers to pay fair wages, give them the same breaks on 4 and 5-hour shifts and access to adequate cooking and sleeping facilities. These are certainly the basic rights of any worker. Too many domestic workers are exploited in our great state and in our modern and progressive society this is simply unacceptable. I believe the people opposed to this bill are simply unaware of some of the horrible conditions under which many workers labor out of the public eye and thus how necessary it is for us to protect them. Is not every worker in California justified to a decent wage, rest from fatigue and access to a safe and healthy working environment? I think so! And I believe you do as well, so please Senator Hernandez, give this bill your vote.Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

Sources

“AB 889 (Ammiano and V. Manuel Pérez): Domestic Work Employees. (California Assembly Bill).” Aroundthecapitol.com: California Political News & Opinion. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/Bills/AB_889/20112012/>.

“Bill AB889.” California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://cadomesticworkers.org/?page_id=9>.

“Support the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in the Senate.” California Domestic Workers’ Coalition. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6748/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7244.>