Domestic worker groups urge council to restore OAG outreach grants they say keep workers safe

Advocates representing domestic workers and employer-education organizations told the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety that a relatively small, recurring grant managed through the Office of the Attorney General has produced wide reach and direct protections for thousands of domestic and low-wage workers.

Alana Eichner (National Domestic Workers Alliance's DC chapter) and multiple community organizations described training cohorts, language-access materials and a legal support strand they said helped workers take enforcement actions and obtain wage recovery. "This program has a track record of success and is really, in many ways, in the private homes of domestic work, the only way that rights actually get enforced," Eichner said.

Paola Henriques of Hand in Hand (the domestic employers network) cited a recurring $260,000 grant that she said has enabled employer outreach and increased the organization's reach by more than 30 percent in the past year. Many Languages One Voice, PJI and other community partners described cohorts that trained dozens of worker-leaders and connected participants to jobs and legal services.

Witnesses asked the committee to restore $260,000 recurring for the Domestic Worker Employment Rights program and to preserve the Workplace Rights Outreach Grant program that funds multilingual, culturally competent organizers. Committee members said they heard the testimony and would review the grant lines during budget mark-up.

The council's record will remain open for additional written testimony through April 29.