New York City Nannies Often Victims of Labor Law Violations

Nannies become members of our families. We trust them to care for our children and help us raise them to become productive members of society. However, nannies are not compensated the way that you would expect someone so important to our families to be compensated. It is shocking that so many New York City nannies are paid an hourly rate that is below the minimum wage (and that is without taking overtime wages into consideration).

There is a common misconception that nannies are not like all other employees in the eyes of the law. New York and federal wage laws apply to nannies the same as they do to any other type of job. The “National Domestic Workers Alliance” has its headquarters in Manhattan and was created make nannies aware of their rights as domestic employees. It is recommended that nannies that are underpaid by the families they work for speak with an experienced employee rights attorney to evaluate their legal options.

Live in nannies are particularly taken advantage of by their employees. In addition to averaging only 5 hours of sleep each night, they are almost never paid overtime wages for their labor. In 2010, New York became one of just a few states that require nannies to receive overtime and paid days off from the families they work for. New York City employee rights attorneys have found that few of these nannies have taken legal action to recover the compensation they deserve. Much of the problem is that too few are aware of their rights or that they can recover back wages from people they no longer work for.

Nannies deserve to be treated with the respect and paid the compensation they deserve for the important roles they play in our families. It has become an epidemic for families to think that the person caring for their children is the place they should cut corners in their budgets. It is time for nannies to take a stand and receive the wages they deserve.

The experienced employment law attorneys at Hepworth, Gershbaum & Roth, PLLC can advise you on your rights to take legal action as a nanny. Call us at 212-545-1199 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.