Domestic workers have always been essential, and the pandemic has made clear just how vital care work is to our state. Essential workers like domestic workers have been called heroes, yet they are treated as expendable: under-valued and under-paid. They are often among the first to lose income and last to receive support in moments of crisis.

It's time to protect house cleaners, nannies and home attendants at work. The New Jersey Domestic Worker Bill of Rights will ensure that these workers benefit from the same policies that protect workers in other industries—basic labor laws that have been denied to domestic workers for far too long.

This policy includes the guarantee of safe working conditions, freedom from harassment and discrimination, rest and meal breaks, and more.

New York, California, Illinois, Nevada, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Mexico, Virginia, and Oregon and the cities of Seattle, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC have already passed protections for domestic workers. It's time for New Jersey to do the same.