Philadelphia Passes Historic POWER Act, Led by Domestic Workers and Historically Excluded Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2025 

CONTACT: Daniela Perez, [email protected]

Philadelphia Passes Historic POWER Act, Led by Domestic Workers and Historically Excluded Workers

The law will protect over 750,000 workers across the city from retaliation.

PHILADELPHIA – Today, Philadelphia made history by passing the Protect Our Workers – Enforce Rights (POWER) Act, a groundbreaking law that expands protections against retaliation for workers and strengthens labor enforcement for over 750,000 workers across the city. This victory was made possible by a powerful, cross-sector coalition of workers, led by domestic workers, restaurant staff, warehouse workers, and more, who have long been excluded from basic labor protections and have organized to demand change. The law protects all people who work in Philadelphia, regardless of immigration status.

This moment builds on the passage of the 2020 Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which extended basic protections to over 16,000 domestic workers in the city. But enforcement challenges persisted. The POWER Act closes those gaps by giving workers meaningful tools to fight retaliation and empowering the city to hold employers accountable.

At a time when workers across the country—particularly immigrant workers, domestic workers, restaurant and service workers, and other low-wage workers—face rollbacks in rights and limited paths to justice, Philadelphia is leading the way. The POWER Act strengthens the City’s ability to proactively investigate abusive employers, deliver financial restitution directly to harmed workers, and hold repeat offenders publicly accountable through a Bad Actors database. It ensures rights are not just promised—they’re enforceable.

“I was an in-home worker for 14 years, earning just $2 an hour without days off or protections—even after I was hospitalized from an injury on the job,” said Mercedes Reyes, a retired domestic worker and leader with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “This law would have changed my life. It will change the lives of so many workers now. We’re not asking for favors—we’re demanding justice. And today, we’ve made history.”

The POWER Act is setting a precedent for how cities can step in where federal labor protections have fallen short. The POWER Act will:

• Protect workers from retaliation when they speak out against workplace abuses, with stronger legal safeguards and access to financial damages;
• Set up clear guidelines and procedures for the Office of Worker Protections to certify applications for immigration relief. This solidifies the Department of Labor’s power to certify that the immigrant worker has suffered a violation of their labor rights, which is used in their application for U visas, T visas, or other forms of immigration relief;
• Suspend business licenses and city procurement contracts for bad actor employers;
• Establish a public “Bad Actors” database for employers with repeated labor violations and those who fail to comply with judgments against them;
• Update sick pay for tipped workers under the existing Paid Sick Leave Ordinance in order to reduce the large financial penalty for workers calling out sick; 
• Provide financial remedies directly to workers to compensate for harm they’ve suffered via workplace abuses (previously, those damages went to the City);
• Authorize the Creation of a Worker Justice Fund to compensate workers harmed by employer retaliation;
• And expand the City’s labor enforcement powers to allow proactive investigations, investigating full workplaces, and better enforce findings against abusive employers in court, mandating clear updates and public reporting from the Department of Labor.

“This victory is years in the making,” said Nicole Kligerman, Director of the Philadelphia Chapter at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “We started with domestic workers demanding basic rights and dignity, and today we’ve built something much bigger—a cross-sector, worker-led movement that reaches far beyond Philadelphia. This is more than a local win; it’s a piece of a national arc toward justice. When workers organize together, across industries and communities, they win.”

The POWER Act was introduced by Councilmember Kendra Brooks, with strong co-sponsorship from 14 of 17 councilmembers. 

As federal labor protections continue to erode, Philadelphia is sending a clear message: when workers organize and local governments lead, transformative change is not only possible—it’s happening.

####

National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the leading voice for dignity and fairness for millions of domestic workers in the United States. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for respect, recognition and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, the majority of whom are immigrants and women of color. NDWA is powered by over 70 affiliate organizations and local chapters and by a growing membership base of nannies, house cleaners and care workers in over 20 states. Learn more at www.domesticworkers.org. NDWA is a non-partisan non-profit organization that does not endorse, support, or oppose any candidates for public office.