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San Francisco Rally Held For Domestic Workers Bill Of Rights

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – A new effort is underway to approve a Bill of Rights for domestic workers, with a kickoff rally for the campaign held in San Francisco's Mission District on Sunday.

The California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is co-authored by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano and would extend rights for overtime pay, meal and rest breaks and worker's compensation to domestic employees.

"Domestic workers have historically been excluded from a lot of labor protections that apply to other workers," said Beatriz Herrera with the group People Organized to Win Employment Rights. "Many of our points are not asking for special privileges. They're just asking for inclusion in other labor laws."

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

Patricia Aceberos has been a domestic worker for eight years. She said many are too intimidated to demand things like overtime pay or sick days.

"Some of them don't have documents, so they can't voice their problems," she said. "They're scared to fight for their rights."

Supporters of the bill said it would cover about 200,000 domestic workers throughout the state.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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