Park Slope Parents Survey Reveals That 44% of Slope Parents Don't Pay Their Nannies OT (Which is totally illegal)

So remember that Park Slope Parents survey on babysitters we wrote about last month? The one that revealed that sitters under 21 years-old typically get paid less, among other things? Well PSP did a similar survey last year, and apparently there was a question on it that asked if Park Slope parents pay their nannies time and a half after working over 40 hours a week. 44% of these parents said "No."  Did y'all know that this is against the law? It has been since 2010. Here's a copy of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights for your reading pleasure, if you care to take a peek at the details.

When those stats went public, it caught the attention of a workers' rights group called Domestic Workers United, who has since set up a hotline for sitters and nannies to call to be informed of their rights. Priscilla Gonzalez, Executive Director of Domestic Workers United, recently told the Daily News, "This is pretty serious," adding that she is zeroing in on the Slope because she believes that the 4,000-ish nannies working in the neighborhood are likely treated better than if they were working elsewhere. Deep down in her heart, Gonzalez believes that "Park Slope employers want to do the right thing.”

On the heals of that comment, let me share this little ditty from the Metro:

One Park Slope nanny with 20 years of experience told Metro she agreed to a lower rate than she'd been making -- $16.50, down from $17 – because the employer promised a raise to $18 after six months. 

The mother promised to pay her and give her coffee for late nights, the nanny said.
But when she worked until 9 p.m., a 13-hour day, the mother would pay her the regular rate, telling her she was paying her 'extra' for the late hours, she said. 'Then, when I asked about the coffee, she said, 'I give you $16.50 extra, and that is for the coffee,'" she said. "I looked at her like, 'What?'"

Carrie Tatum, a 36 year-old Park Slope mother of two, says that she's adhered to the rules of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights since first hiring people to care for her children. Of other parents, she told the Daily News, “Many do their best to treat nannies fairly."

Other local residents, like 36 year-old Park Sloper Liz Jenkins, feel that the Slope is being profiled because we are a community "known for fierce debates about the geopolitical implications of co-op groceries and the gender-identity of lost hats." They forgot to mention parents who want to ban ice cream from the park.

I'm not saying that this ridicule is fair, but come on, Park Slope. You've done gone and made yourself an easy target.