Maria Paladines was living in Curaçao when she received a job offer from New Jersey to work as a live-in domestic worker for $400 a week.
Before boarding the plane, Paladines was excited; she was going to make more money than what she was making in Curaçao. But after she landed in Newark, and began her new job, her excitement was replaced by deepening concern.
Paladines said she endured insults and deportation threats while she worked 12-hour shifts Monday through Saturday at the home. She was originally hired for cleaning duties only, but over time, she said was continually asked to perform additional jobs, including cooking, laundry, and ironing clothes.
A legislative bill of rights aimed to prevent stories like Paladines’ by establishing regulations and protections for New Jersey’s more than 60,000 domestic workers was introduced in Trenton in January 2022. But today, a year and a half later, advocates of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights are concerned that the bill hasn’t reached the Senate or Assembly floor for a vote yet.
“At the moment, we are making sure that all parties at the table who have an interest in this bill have their concerns addressed,” said Sen. Richard Codey, D-Essex, a main sponsor for the bill.
Many live-in domestic workers in New Jersey are hired from abroad by self-proclaimed staffing agencies that lure prospective employees with misleading offers, advocates say. Because they are new to the U.S. and seldom know anyone, it becomes hard for these...
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