By Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
March 7, 2011
SAN JOSE, Calif. – 55-year old Nelly Gonzales said this with a sigh, “I never expected life in America to be this hard,”
It was challenging for her to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia for 8 years. But she never expected to be abused as a worker, when she moved to America in 1995.
She was hired to work as a live-in caregiver for a distant relative, who she does not want to be named. Not only was she a full-time caregiver for 6 mentally disabled adults, she was also a personal maid to her employer and her family.
“I worked 7 days a week and was on-call 24 hours a day. I was really tired. But I couldn’t complain. I had to do my job,” she said, in between tears.
Worse, she was not allowed to have days off. She said, “I felt like a slave.”
For all her work, Gonzales only got paid a measly $150 a month.
“I wanted to complain but I didn’t want my employer to lose her business. It’s just that I couldn’t take the abuse anymore,” she said.
In October 2010, she finally gathered the courage to file a complaint against her employer. She said the Labor Department has informed her that she stands to get $180,000 in back wages.
Gonzales said she’s glad that California lawmakers are starting to recognize their rights as domestic workers. Last month, Calfornia Assemblyman Tom Ammiano introduced the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.
If passed, the bill would ensure that nannies, caregivers and housekeepers — regardless of immigration status — would get overtime pay, minimum wage, meal and rest breaks,
healthcare coverage, paid vacation and sick leaves, among others.
Currently, domestic workers are not included in many labor laws. If signed into law, California will be the second state to enact such law.
This weekend, in commemoration of International Women’s Day, Filipino caregivers and their advocates celebrated this development and vowed to campaign for the passage of the bill.
Katie Joaquin of the Filipino Advocates for Justice said, “The Domestic Workers Coalition has been working on this bill since 2006. Last year, New York has passed a similar bill and it’s on its implementation phase right now. It’s up to California legislators now to step up to the plate and follow suit in recognizing domestic work.”
There are about 140,000 Filipino working as caregivers in the U.S. Joaquin said that majority of these caregivers have experienced abuse in one way or another and believes this bill finally give them what is due their work.
If you are an abused caregiver and would like to know how you can be helped, please contact the Filipino Advocates for Justice at (510) 465-9876 or visit www.filipinos4action.org.
(WATCH VIDEO HERE)
You can reach Henni Espinosa at henni_espinosa@abs-cbn.com.
John. Have you been in Another Country? I was an Au Pair in Europe- 1 year live-in with a family
.I new my hours up front!!!
I knew- the salary per hour !!!
I knew my days off !!!
Family respected me !!!
For extra time, I was always payed – even if it was 30 minutes overtime !!!
So no, it is not slavery John all over the world, and do you know why ???
Quess what, as you know from HISTORY – SLAVERY USED TO BE IN AMERICA NOT THAT LONG TIME AGO, and I must say , I can see it in 21st century that this country had slavery in the past, and people used to that , have servants, slaves in the house. The culture.
I am not from USa, and can see big difference in culture in here from other countries.
I am relate to this girl, as I was working as a caregiver 24/7/. No brake- I could not leave the house.( I mean – nobody from the family even would think to arrange few hours for me to have time off to leave the house)…
If I did asked for this, even 30 minutes or so it was a big issue. Families, they just expect you to be there 24/7. Ususlly they do not let you have ay visitors( even your family) sometimes is a problem, when they want to come for a visit. They think, they own you.
Also room and board suppose to be included,. Knowing that I didnt have car, they never ask, when they go for shopping , is there anything you would like…… if the milk for instance is finished…they say—she does not drink milk. But hello, how can I go to store for a gallon of milk , If I can not leave the house ??? Isn,t that worse that slavery. They think that a caregivers need does not have to be met. That she or he does not have to drink or eat, sertain things if their lovely mother does not. SELFISHNESS TO THE POWER OF ENDLESS !!!
Some agancies you even have to pay big money , in order to get a job. Pretty much, you are buying the job. WHat do you think about that ???
There are many regular folks in America who do not wish to place their elderly/ill Family members in Narsing Homes. Unfortunately they do not learn the proper customs to “take care of their own,” unlike myself, I struggle taking care of my Mother with no help from Kuya or Ate. There is limited resources to connect with a good Filipino caregiver in Portland OR and I wish that I could find someone to help and am ready to pay, AND HELP them. Many ARE paid well and we might only hear of the plight of the ones who are taken advantage of. The US should get realistic about what the needs are here of the people. Protect them, but allow caregivers from Phils access to come and work, legally. Salamat. Kuya Richard FIve Oh Three Nine Five Seven Three Seven Seven Six
“MAGREKLAMO KA SA LOLO MONG PANOT”.
For now, I’ll wait ’til I get paid for the wages that I deserve to get and fly back home to the Philippines and start rebuilding my life…
I hope that the bill will pushed through
Good for her! No one likes to work for free. She’s entitled to get paid for hours worked. Wouldn’t you want the employee taking care of your loved ones to be treated with the same respect you expect from them when caring for your family? I encourage you to put yourself in her shoes.
basically caregivers, nannies, housekeepers are modern day slaves in any country. again, its the have verse the have nots. it will always be the have’s mistreating the have nots, no matter what law is enacted. anyone who works these kinds of jobs, should try to better themselves to get better job. these types of jobs can be demeaning.