A large percentage of domestic workers must endure long hours, low pay, and health and safety issues in the home, including violence and sexual assault.  But, they have limited as they are excluded from major existing federal laws. The Fair Labor Standards Act specifically excluded domestic and agriculture workers, many of whom were former slaves. The historic racism and sexism built into U.S. labor and employment law has existed until recent years with domestic workers organizing around the country to win basic workplace protections. 

Chicago Protections

Domestic workers in Chicago have additional job protections including the right to paid sick days, and as of January 1, 2022 the right to a written contract. All Chicago worker protections are enforced by the Chicago Office of Labor Protections, which Arise members created. Learn more on Chicago protections here.

Sample Contracts / Modelos de Contratos / Wzory Umów

As of January 1, 2022 all domestic worker employers in Chicago will be required to provide a written contract to their workers. Below are comprehensive sample contracts for home cleaners, nannies/childcare workers, and caregivers created by Arise Chicago and the Illinois Domestic Workers Coalition.

A partir del 1 de enero de 2022, todos los empleadores de trabajadoras domésticas en Chicago deberán proporcionar un contrato por escrito a sus trabajadoras. A continuación se muestran ejemplos de contratos completos para limpiadores del hogar, niñeras / trabajadores de cuidado infantil y cuidadoras, creados por Arise Chicago y la Coalición de Trabajadoras Domésticas en Illinois.

Od 1 stycznia 2022 r. wszyscy pracodawcy wykonujący pracę domową w Chicago będą zobowiązani do przedstawienia swoim pracownikom pisemnej umowy. Poniżej znajdują się kompleksowe przykładowe umowy dla osób sprzątających, niań/pracowników opieki nad dziećmi i opiekunów, stworzone przez Arise Chicago i Illinois Domestic Workers Coalition.

Sample Contracts

Model Contract for Home Cleaners

Model Contract for Nannies

Model Contract for Caregivers

Modelos de Contratos

Model de contrato de empleo para trabajadoras de limpieza

Model de contrato de empleo para niñeras

Model de contrato de empleo para cuidadoras

Wzory Umów

Wzór umowy/kontraktu o pracę dla osoby sprzątającej

Wzór umowy/kontraktu o pracę dla niani opiekunki do dzieci

Wzór umowy/kontraktu o pracę dla opiekuna/opiekunki

Upcoming Domestic Worker Trainings

Entrenamientos para trabajadoras domésticas

Treningi dla pracowninkow domowych

Upcoming Domestic Worker Trainings

Join as a Member!

¡Unirse como miembro aquí! Los beneficios para los miembros de Arise incluyen acceso a asistencia personalizada de un especialista en contratos de Arise para crear un contrato por escrito.

Illinois Domestic Worker Bill of Rights

To address these historic legal exclusions, Arise Chicago proudly worked partnership with other organizations to form the Illinois Domestic Workers Coalition. After a five-year campaign, our coalition won the Illinois Domestic Worker Bill of Rights! The law was passed in 2016 and went into effect on January 1, 2017.  The Bill of Rights includes domestic workers in basic state employment laws, including the rights to:

• Be paid no less than the minimum wage
• Be paid for all work hours
• Meal and rest periods
• Be free from sexual harassment

National Domestic Workers Alliance

In January 2011 Arise received a request from National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) to conduct a survey of Polish domestic workers, which comprise over 25% of all Cook County domestic workers.  To our knowledge, Arise Chicago employs the only Polish organizer from the 300 workers centers across the U.S.

Arise Chicago was solely responsible for surveying Polish domestic workers and made connections with those with whom we built relationships over the past decade.  Arise completed over 80 surveys and, based on our findings, felt compelled to do more.

In 2012 Arise Chicago became a member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.  NDWA is powered by over 60 local, membership-based affiliate organizations and chapters with thousands of nannies, housekeepers and caregivers located across the country. Through NDWA, Arise Chicago domestic worker members have traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for their rights. Learn more about NDWA

Get Involved

Contact our Domestic Workers Organizer Ania Jakubek at anna[at]arisechicago[dot]org or 773-937-1825 to learn how you can support domestic workers, including those who you may employ in your own home.