In the nanny industry, we know that diversity is ever-present—from who we are as individuals, to the ages of the children we work with, to the duties we perform each day at work. Despite this diversity, we come together to share our craft, our ideas, our struggles, and educate one another about all things nanny. Yet, one thing we all have in common, and which should be standard throughout our industry, is being compensated fairly and fully for our valuable work.

Unfortunately, nanny pay is not always equitable, and we are only beginning to talk about it. In that light, let’s address what it means to be paid fairly and legally so that we can finally span the divide.

Being paid fairly means you are paid a living wage for all hours worked, including applicable overtime, and that you are paid regularly for the work being done. Being paid legally means all wages are paid “on the books” in view of tax and labor authorities, with applicable taxes remitted based on the wages changing hands.

This is important because while no one likes paying taxes, those taxes go on to protect workers and provide benefits when needed most. Legal pay allows nannies to have verifiable income to rent or buy a home, to purchase/lease a car, or to secure a credit card. Legal pay means safety nets such as unemployment benefits between jobs and social security benefits after retirement are in place, and you can rest easy knowing they will be there when you need them. Legal pay also means you will potentially be eligible for tax credits and credits towards health insurance and that your employer will be able to obtain workers’ compensation insurance for you. Plainly stated, legal pay is also abiding by the law—and why would you want to break a law that affords you so many benefits?

All nannies deserve to be paid fairly and legally for the work that they do. This has always been true, but recently it has begun to come up in discussions as our industry reacts to a shift in the national conversation about workers’ rights. It is through our participation and unity in these conversations that our power lies. This is why the Fair and Legal Pay Coalition was recently started to help shed light on this issue, with the goal of bringing fair and legal pay compliance up from less than 10% to 100% for the estimated one-to-four million nannies working in the US.

This coalition has designed a logo and messaging, for free use by all, to help start the conversation anywhere the word “nanny” is used. From resumes, social media, business cards, websites, job postings, and direct conversations with families, we encourage everyone to talk about and demand fair and legal pay. The more we talk about fair and legal pay, and the more we share our personal stories, the sooner we will shift the perception from “Why should I want fair and legal pay?” to “Why wouldn’t I demand fair and legal pay?”

Please take a minute to check out www.FairAndLegalPay.com and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fairandlegalpay/

Join the conversation and help make pay in the nanny industry fair, legal, and equitable to all.

Why Fair and Legal Pay Matters