California Domestic Worker Equality, Fairness and Dignity Act

The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to assess the impact of California Assembly Bill 889, which proposed extending labor protections including overtime compensation, meal and rest periods, and uninterrupted sleep periods with compensation to domestic workers. The HIA focused specifically on two provisions of the bill: amending California Workers’ Compensation legislation to include domestic workers who work less than 52 hours or earn less than $100 from one employer in a 90-day period, and requiring employers to provide eight hours of uninterrupted sleep to domestic workers who work 24-hour or longer shifts or who live in their employer’s home and provide care to others. The HIA found several health benefits associated with the proposed legislation, including reduced transmission of infectious diseases such as influenza and food-borne illnesses, improved compliance with public health guidelines for preventing the transmission of communicable diseases, and more timely visits to health care providers when people are ill. The HIA made several recommendations to support domestic worker health and well-being, including working with safety net providers to improve their capacity to treat occupational conditions; focusing research on the demographics, economic status, and occupational health of domestic workers, particularly those providing live-in or 24-hour care; and including proportional numbers of domestic workers in Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys and analysis to ensure sufficient sample sizes for data analysis.