Many in the community currently use the services of Spanish-speaking cleaning women who hail from South or Central America, most of whom are in the country illegally.
I would like to bring to the unsuspecting public’s attention a story that is currently taking place, so that others can protect themselves when employing the above-mentioned people:
I employed one of these women full-time, for over eight years, paying her $10, then $11, and subsequently $12 per hour.
Before this past Pesach, she asked for $13 per hour, which I agreed to give her on condition that she would be willing to come for the next two Sundays before Pesach. Although she would work on Sundays when she needed extra money, this time she refused, and left the house with me being furious that she had turned me down.
She never returned, and I figured that she must have found a better paying job.
I must make it very clear that I was an extremely kind, lenient employer.
I gave her $10 every day so that she could buy her own kosher food, plus she had a free lunch hour that she got paid for.
Although, she damaged many clothing items, I never expected her to reimburse me.
If she worked very late, I would feed her supper and send her home with an Uber, at a fare of approximately $30.
When she complained that the workload was too heavy for her, (I live in a duplex with my husband and young daughter), I brought in a second lady to assist her.
She would chat on the phone while working, even though it impeded her speed and distracted her, but I never told her to turn her iPhone off.
I kept quiet when she would stay late because she wanted to make up her missed hours, even though I knew she was taking advantage of me.
I gave her many items of used clothing when she hinted that she desired them, plus I bought her teenage daughter a new winter coat when she asked me to.
Lastly, I tipped her very generously before the Jewish holidays.
This week I got a court summons.
This very woman, whom I wined and dined, and with whom I tried to make a “Kiddush Hashem”, treating her with utmost respect, is suing me!!! For the hefty sum of $75,000 dollars!!! She claims that she should have been paid time and a half for each of her hours of overtime. (She never, ever, mentioned time and a half in all her years of working at my home).
After consulting with three different lawyers, it is apparent that the law is on her side. (Ironically, she revealed to me recently that she has a deportation notice…). Sadly, there is little I can do but make a settlement with her. I do not know how much this joke will cost me in the end, but I am heartbroken to have to give my hard-earned Yiddish gelt to such a disloyal, ungrateful person.
Moreover, I now know that I am not the first gullible “heimishe” woman who has taken in a “Mexican” housekeeper, and then been sent a summons. This trend is becoming increasingly popular. There are Spanish speaking lawyers who offer these workers their services, free of charge, on condition that they get a share of the settlement money. The complaints against employees can vary, but the motive is the same.
I know some might ask why I kept her all these years if I had complaints against her. The truth is that I trusted her. She may have lied occasionally, but she never touched my valuables though she had enough opportunities to snitch. Plus, she was a reliable worker overall, who arrived when she said she would. She knew the running of my home, and she took off many of my responsibilities.
I sincerely regret being so gracious to her, and I feel that she has punched me in the face.
Ladies! Please don’t make the same mistakes as me!
Never trust these chevra even if you think they are truly loyal to you.
Never employ the same person for 40 hours a week or longer, unless she is prepared to be paid on the books, by check, and then have to pay her taxes. I wish I had insisted on this, but it is almost impossible to get a housekeeper under these conditions.
Keep a record of her hours and have her sign it. Thus, in the future, she won’t be able to claim that she worked longer. You must have proof. If not, it’s her word against yours. Overtime is considered eight or more hours a day, and/or forty hours a week or longer.
Remember: even if you only employ her once a week, she can sue you if she worked eight hours or more in a single day.
Never let them think you have spare money; they will simply take advantage of you.
I hope this report iy”H helps prevent others from experiencing these scenarios.
1) Your lawyer may request the cell phone records of the cleaning lady, and may be able to delay lawsuit further because of them 2) Cell phone records go to reduced labor hours per week and is an important issue which may alleviate overtime issue 3) Although $10/hr net or $11/hr net may seem low to some readers, the gross minimum wage for employers with 10 or less employees was $10.50/hr gross after 12/31/2016 and $12 after 12/31/2017. $12/hr gross is about $10/net so her hourly age in cash is no worse than what minimum age is today. The result… Read more »
Facts are facts…statistics are statistics. Are we supposed to avoid saying where they’re from?
And why is it sad to have them deported? Of course it’s worth it to deport such people who do such horrible things to others like theft…esp. after being treated so well!
Very nice of this author to publicize her story as a warning for others- I sure hope things work out to her benefit
I don’t see what is actually “racist” about this. Facts are that she was Spanish and the employer is Jewish. If either was Chinese, what difference does it make if they mention that?
Mendy Halberstam is one of the nicest and fairest people around. He will certainly do you good. He’s also quite smart and talented.
It’s worth it to spend some money speaking to an expert in the field on how to proceed, especially for peace of mind
.
I’m sorry this happened to you, but it’s a new year and a chance for a new start. Boruch hashem this is the biggest problem happening to you right now and you now have the knowledge to prevent it from happening again, or to others.
Please let us know how things work out.
If they’re owned overtime you really do need to pay them. As for the “just 1099 them” comment above, that doesn’t always apply. The IRS has a set of rules on when someone is considered an employee and when they are an independent contractor. It is nice that you helped with food, uber, and the like. Best bet would be to tell them that’s part of their normal wages and track everything. Otherwise it’s one person’s word against another. And I’d leave the “Mexican” line out. Sounds more racist than not. We’ve had plenty of teenage girl babysitters that spend… Read more »
Really I was paid less than that when I worked for preschools as as a Morah and I’m an adult with a degree.
I am embarrassed by the racist comments and by someone thinking they are doing someone a favor by paying an adult $12 or $13 an hour for house cleaning in NYC in this day and age. If you can’t afford to pay more and follow the withholding laws, etc. or use an agency that takes care of those requirements, then you can’t afford cleaning help. I would love to have help but don’t for these reasons.
You employed someone without bothering to look into employment law, paid her a substandard wage, and you’re condemning entire countries-full of people because you didn’t do your due diligence? Get over yourself.
calling ice can have this women sent back to her country and potentially murdered. is that really worth it to you?
the racism in this post and the comments is abhorrent. you should have paid her fairly. her heritage has nothing to do with it.
“The truth is that I trusted her. She may have lied occasionally, but she never touched my valuables though she had enough opportunities to snitch. ”
Honestly, “lied occasionally” should be a red flag! Just because she didn’t steal anything (that you know of), doesn’t mean she’s trustworthy. You’re allowing someone into your home, you need to raise your standards, for your own protection! If you know she lied, at any point, whether once or twice or 20 times, that should be enough to signal to you not to trust her.
my husband and children help.
as a mother with lots of little ones we need, deserve to have help. the Rebbe encouraged large families and lots of household help. this is not a new culture- i consider it a very Lubavitch culture going way back….I think its a compliment to our community that women are held up with respect for all they do and its encouraged to have help at home
if she had the nerve to sue you after all you did to help her, I agree just call ice and have her deported.
MINE DID THE SAME THING. JUST BECAUSE SHE IS IN YOUR HOUSE THAT WHOLE TIME DOESNT MEAN SHE WORKED THOSE HOURS. I HAD MY LAWYER WRITE A LETTER THAT MINE HAD CHOICES TO LEAVE WHENEVER SHE WANT AS LONG AS WORK WAS DONE. SHE WAS ON PHONE ALL THE TIME . SOME DAYS SHE STAYED AND THAT WAS BY CHOICE. I ASKED HER TO PROVE HER HOURS AND I SHE COULDNT. DO NOT SETTLE . HIRE YOUR OWN LAWYER TO WRITE A NAST LETTER ABOUT ALL THESE EXTRAS WHICH U GAE HER AND STATE THAT SHE DID ABSOLUTELY NOT WORK… Read more »
Even with the husband and kids helping, there can be a need for outside help too. That’s how it is in my house, for example.
And by the way, never mind “too spiritually lofty,” and consider that older boys are in Yeshiva for the largest part of the day.
B”H
The story is very lamentable on all ends. Best protection: Use an agency. It may be more expensive, but the operators are far more likely to want to stay in business and keep the business reputable by getting referrals
the letter writer is in trouble. Her failure to pay taxes, declare income or anything else is her problem, however, it doesnt absolve the employer of his/her legal obligations.
Some of the comments here reflect a lack of understanding of basic employment issues many employers deal with regularly. Unfortunately, I know a lot about these issues and it is necessary to have a good employment lawyer on your side. Mendy Halberstam is a frum attorney who specializes in employment law (he represents employers only, not employees). He lives in Miami but works for a large national employment firm with offices in NY and California (and all over the US). I’ve worked with him a lot, and he is an excellent employment litigator. If you are sued, reach out to… Read more »
call ice get her deported
does anyone allow their cleaning lady to talk on their cell phones all day? was just wondering how to go about it?
The law establishes that you have certain responsibilities to your employees. Additionally by employing illegal immigrants you hurt the country and deprived the government of taxes which cause people who uphold the law to pay more taxes to make up the deficit. I hope you will somehow be obsolved of this but your complaining that you broke the law and got caught. Imagine the shoe was on the other foot. Your bubbie or zeide moved to this country and were taken advantage of by an employer because they did not know any better and a a yiddish lawyer told them,… Read more »
Can you please post the number to the cleaning service you use.
Thanks
If she was not paid on the books and is here illegally, then I do not see how on earth she could have a case! That means she is not paying taxes! And you can tell your entire side of the story to the judge. Do not despair – You do have a case! But this highlights such an important issue in our community. Hundreds if not thousands of Jewish mothers in Crown Heights are literally buried and overwhelmed by messy houses. Their husbands and children are too spiritually lofty to lift a finger to do any cleaning help at… Read more »
All she needs to prove is one hour and the corrupt bottom feeder lawyer gets paid by you. The law is not on the side of the employer. Good luck!
Household help must be paid on a W-2, 1099 would not protect you from workers comp or unemployment insurance.
Ask for documentation and make a copy, pay on the books. If the worker sues, you have something on which to stand. If the documents are counterfeit, it’s they who are in bad faith. Consider the price difference an investment in peace of mind, and a form of insurance!
i truly feel bad for you. i don’t know your circumstance so this is not judgement but i was addicted to cleaning help and had different ladies for many years coming everyday to ‘help me’ (a stay at home mum of 4 ) until i realized i was bored and depressed my teen kids were lazy and my husband was frustrated how much of his earnings went to them so we said enough is enough and i went cold turkey and have had no one for a year . the house is spotless , i’m busy and houseproud , the… Read more »
Make sure to be insured in case she falls or hurts herself at your home. I’ve heard stories to that effect.
i assume by your “compassionate” input that you either don’t have much cleaning help or you’re wealthy enough to get your help from one of those “propah” agencies that charges $20.00 an hour and up, from the self-righteous sound of your lecture on labor laws i assume you meticulously report all the monies you pay in cash for services rendered otherwise,you’d be more sympathetic to this woman’s plight. having said that i’m forced to add that i agree with you that people must become less reliant on cleaning help. as far as this particular cleaning lady is concerned,i and many,… Read more »
On being an absolute racist.
Here in California this has been going on for a while. There are spanish speaking lawyers who seek out customers. The best thing is to ignore and not respond to these summons.
Eventually they drop it.
ICE.gov
1-866-DHS-2-ICE
I utilize a cleaning service for my home. (Clothing is something l prefer to do myself). There are two ladies who come weekly (more often if needed) and they are bonded with extensive background checks. The work is excellent. There is a signed agreement /contract with the service clearly explaining fees and what is covered so there are no hidden surprises or extra expenses. I knew several people who had items taken by private cleaners who just disappeared. The cleaning company offers me a sense of security and I wouldn’t do it any other way.
The Rebbe sometimes told women to get cleaning help. You don’t know this person’s circumstances or what other obligations they have so please don’t judge. If someone’s donkey is under its burden, you’re supposed to help it – this can also mean help for having a clean home. Also, maybe the lady didn’t know the law. Judge her for the best. A lot of people assume that if someone is an illegal immigrant that they are not covered by wage laws. Instead of feeling so judgmental , maybe show some compassion. After all, especially in the aseres yimei teshuva, we… Read more »
Have the cleaning person fill out a 1099 to be an independent contractor and then no over time issues
She has no record of hours and it’s time to fight back. Make a list of every missing thing from the house that you “never wanted to think she took.” Also, call ICE and see what can be done to speed up her case. Enough is enough.
If you employ someone for pay to do something for you, you are an employer. There are laws governing such an arrangement. Because there may be many laws and because they may be confusing and because others ignore such laws, does not free you from responsibility to abide by the laws of your land nor from the consequence for their violation. Here’s a sampling – https://labor.ny.gov/legal/laws/pdf/domestic-workers/facts-for-employers.pdf https://labor.ny.gov/legal/laws/pdf/domestic-workers/facts-for-domestic-workers.pdf Paying a foreign-language-speaking individual cash does not absolve you of anything. And doing things you think are nice, does not compensate for any dereliction of your legal requirement. I wonder what the point… Read more »
Thanks for sharing. The same is with yidden working/ helping yidden. I was helping a you’d with something she requested and she eventually hurt me so bad…..
BS”D don’t settle, counter sue for all the things she stole (mine would even help herself to pine-sol), did she keep time records or a diary of the hours worked , if not,forget it, the burden of proof is on her to prove she worked overtime. And ask the Rebbe for a Brocho and do NOT settle. Furthermore bc if the amount it is a Supreme Court (of NY) case and with
depositions, adjournments and the backed up calendar she will be long gone before this case comes to trial. Get a 4th opinion
How could she proves how many hours overtime did she punch in and out How can she prove anything say she worked seven hours a week.And if she’s going through this lawsuit wouldn’t that require her to pay taxes?