b'I N D U S T R Y N E W SFair and Legal PayBY RACHEL LAWRENCEIn the nanny industry, we know that diversity is ever-presentfrom who we are as individuals, to the ages of the childrenwe 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 allthings nanny. Yet, one thing we all have in common, andwhich should be standard throughout our industry, is beingcompensated fairly and fully for our valuable work. Unfortunately, nanny pay is not always equitable, and we are only beginning to talk aboutit. In that light, lets address what it means to be paid fairly and legally so that we canfinally span the divide. Beingpaidfairlymeansyouarepaidalivingwageforallhoursworked,includingapplicable overtime, and that you are paid regularly for the work being done. Being paidlegally means all wages are paid on the books in view of tax and labor authorities, withapplicable taxes remitted based on the wages changing hands. This is important because while no one likes paying taxes, those taxes go on to protectworkersandprovidebenefitswhenneededmost.Legalpayallowsnanniestohaveverifiable income to rent or buy a home, to purchase/lease a car, or to secure a creditcard. Legal pay means safety nets such as unemployment benefits between jobs and socialsecurity benefits after retirement are in place, and you can rest easy knowing they will bethere when you need them. Legal pay also means you will potentially be eligible for taxcredits and credits towards health insurance and that your employer will be able to obtainworkers compensation insurance for you. Plainly stated, legal pay is also abiding by the lawRACHEL LAWRENCE and why would you want to break a law that affords you so many benefits? Rachel Lawrence is the proud mother of All nannies deserve to be paid fairly and legally for the work that they do. This has alwaysthreeyoungchildrenandhasover15 been true, but recently it has begun to come up in discussions as our industry reacts to ayearsofexperienceinthein-home shift in the national conversation about workers rights. It is through our participation andchildcare industry. Rachel has worked as unity in these conversations that our power lies. This is why the Fair and Legal Pay Coalitionananny,operatedherownboutique was recently started to help shed light on this issue, with the goal of bringing fair and legalnannyplacementagency,andbeena paycomplianceupfromlessthan10%to100%fortheestimatedone-to-fourmillionnannyemployerasaworkingmom. nannies working in the US. RachelservedastheOperationsManagerfortheInternationalNanny This coalition has designed a logo and messaging, for free use by all, to help start theAssociation,andsubsequentlyasa conversation anywhere the word nanny is used. From resumes, social media, businessplacement specialist for a larger agency cards,websites,jobpostings,anddirectconversationswithfamilies,weencourageandanationalnewborncarespecialist everyone to talk about and demand fair and legal pay. The more we talk about fair andagencybeforebecomingtheAgency legalpay,andthemoreweshareourpersonalstories,thesoonerwewillshiftthePartner Specialist at HomeWork Solutions. perception from Why should I want fair and legal pay? to Why wouldnt I demand fair andRachel is a big proponent of developing legal pay?and adhering to high industry standards.Rachelholdsmembershipinthe Please take a minute to check out www.FairAndLegalPay.com and our Facebook page atInternational Nanny Association and has https://www.facebook.com/fairandlegalpay/also served on INAs board of directors.Sheregularlyattendsandpresentsat Join the conversation and help make pay in the nanny industry fair, legal, and equitable toindustryconferences,includingiNNTD, all.Nannypalooza,theInternationalNannyAssociation,andtheAssociationofPremier Nanny Agencies. NannyMag.com5'