Standards investigation found alleged violations of the city’s Domestic Workers Ordinance. The company, which operates an online platform offering home services such as cleaning and lawn care, reached a settlement with OLS to resolve the claims.
The agreement includes $135,723.53 in back pay, interest, liquidated damages and civil penalties for the affected workers.
OLS alleged Handy failed to pay the city’s minimum wage to domestic workers for all hours worked, did not provide required meal and rest breaks and failed to compensate workers for missed breaks. Under the Domestic Workers Ordinance, individuals providing services in private homes, including those engaged through app-based platforms, are entitled to the same labor protections as other workers in Seattle.
“Seattle’s Domestic Workers Ordinance ensures workers performing domestic work in private homes will be paid appropriately and treated fairly. OLS hopes the results of this investigation will raise awareness among workers of their rights and help them feel empowered to come forward with their complaints, whether their work is app-mediated like on Handy or not,” said Steven Marchese, director of the Office of Labor Standards. “Through a variety of means, OLS educates both domestic workers and hiring entities about this law and other laws that impact domestic workers like Seattle’s Minimum Wage and Wage Theft Ordinances, to promote compliance and ensure everyone’s rights are respected.”
Baylie Freeman, co-chair of the Domestic Workers Standards Board, said the settlement represents a significant step toward justice for vulnerable workers.
“We are very excited and gratified that this investigation was such a success. These vulnerable workers deserve justice, and OLS works tirelessly with our community to provide that. This outcome is a heartening show of solidarity with workers who can often be subsumed by large platforms and the faceless corporations that operate them,” said Freeman. “This investigation provides a path forward to enforce the DWO on a larger scale, educating more employers and fighting for more domestic workers’ rights. We hope that this outcome will pave the way for even stronger enforcement of the DWO and for more workers to come forward seeking assistance. Large platforms that attract domestic workers and employers have often operated without guardrails, especially when the workers involved are classified as independent contractors. This victory marks a turning point in the industry that will lead to greater accountability of employers and hope for more vulnerable workers.”
