In 2014, Tranquilina Morales moved from Mexico to New York City, where she found work as a nanny. However, her job often went beyond childcare.
“I worked from 7 in the morning to 7 at night, and they never paid me for the extra hours I put in,” Morales told me in Spanish. “I was paid $15 an hour to cook, clean and care for three kids.”
Morales is one of 14,000 nannies in the city, many of whom are immigrants and undocumented, leaving them vulnerable to unfair working conditions, low pay and sudden termination.
“These are people who are devoting their lives to taking care of children — the fact that they get exploited and abused and don’t have basic rights and dignity is absolutely unacceptable,” said Ben Fuller-Goggins, director of the Carroll Gardens Nanny Association.
It wasn’t until Morales connected with the member-led Carroll Gardens Nanny Association in Brooklyn that she learned she was earning less than half the average of what nannies get paid per child. Since its launch in 2019, the association has helped hundreds of nannies like Morales understand their rights while also providing a supportive network and free certificate programs to enhance their resumes.
Learn more about how the association is helping New York nannies in the video above.
