b'D O E S T H E A U P A I R R U L I N G M E A NM O R E J O B S F O R N A N N I E S ?long as they dont exceed 45 hours in a week or 10 hoursin a day. Host familys also like the idea of their childrenbeing exposed to a different culture, learning about theirau pairs home country, and even picking up a few wordsin the au pairs native language. The changing au pair landscapeThecostsavingsofemployinganAupairratherthananannymaynolongerbeabigadvantageforfamilies.Aboutayearago,underaproposedclass-actionsettlement filed in a Denver federal court, nearly 100,000aupairswillbeentitledtoshareina$65.5millionpaymentfromthedesignatedsponsororganizations.Theau pairs alleged violations of federal and state laws andsaid these agencies colluded to keep their wages low andignoredovertimeandstateminimumwagelaws.Theaupairsclaimedthatthesecompaniesusedthefederalminimumwagerateasthemaximumamounttheycouldearn. This settlement was a first step in possibly reducing(oreliminating)thecostadvantage,asaupairscannowlookforfair-marketwagesandworkingconditionsthatare on par with what a nanny enjoys. In December 2019, adecision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First CircuitmeantaupairsinMassachusettsmustbepaidatleastthestatesminimumwageandtime-and-a-halfforovertime.HostfamiliesinMassachusettsmustnowfollowthestatesdomesticworkersbillofrights,maintaintimesheets,andobtainworkerscompensation,amongother requirements. What this may mean for nanny jobsWhilethecourtrulingimpactsaupairsinMassachusetts,its possible other states, especially those that have alsopassedadomesticworkersbillofrights,willstart Guy Maddaloneprovidinglaborprotectionsforaupairs.Itsstillvery GuyMaddalonehasmorethan30yearsearlytotellwhatwillhappennext,butthecourtruling ofexperienceinthepayroll,humanhasprovidedatemplateforstatestofollow.Aquality, resource,andemploymentservicesexperiencednannywillstillearnmoremoneythananau industries.In1991,hefoundedGTMpairandexpectbenefitslikehealthcare,performance PayrollServicestoprovidepayroll,tax,bonuses,andmore.Forfamilieslookingforthecheapest compliance,andinsurancechildcarepossible,aupairsmaystillbethebestoption, administrationforfamiliesthathiredabut the gap has certainly narrowed. In Massachusetts, an nannyorotherhouseholdemployees.aupaircannowearnupto$528.65/weekiftheywork GuyisalsotheauthorofHowtoHireathemaximum45hours/week(thisincludesa$77 Nanny:YourCompleteGuidetoFinding,deductionforroomandboard).Whenyouconsiderthe Hiring,andRetainingHouseholdHelpdrawbacks of an au pair, such as their ability to only work andHowtoHireaCaregiverforYourforuptotwoyearswithafamilyandlackofchildcare Senior: Your Complete Guide to Finding,experience,familiesthatwantanin-homecaregivermay Employing, and Retaining In-Home Help.consider a nanny instead.22Spring 2020|NannyMag.com'