Last year, Philadelphia overhauled its worker protection landscape with the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights (POWER) Act and strengthened implementation of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. These reforms significantly expand employer responsibilities—both for traditional workplaces and for domestic employment relationships such as nannies, house cleaners, and caregivers that work within Philadelphia boundaries. Keep reading to learn more about these acts and how they apply to you.
THE POWER ACT
On May 27, 2025, Philadelphia enacted the POWER Act, which took effect immediately and amended key worker protection ordinances—including paid sick leave, wage theft protections, and domestic worker rights—while also adding new enforcement and anti-retaliation structures. The POWER Act isn’t just about new worker rights; it gives Philadelphia’s Office of Worker Protections (OWP) real authority to enforce them and hold employers accountable.
Key Provisions for Employers
- Enhanced enforcement powers – OWP can investigate workplaces proactively, issue subpoenas, and initiate investigations even without a formal complaint.
- More record keeping – Once this ordinance is enacted, Employers will be required to keep records for three years. Employers must maintain records of the hours worked by an employee, including dates; hours of sick leave taken by an employee; and any payments made to an employee for sick leave. The employer is required to allow the Enforcement Agency to inspect the records or provide them to the Enforcement Agency upon request.
- Anti-retaliation protections – If an employer takes an adverse action against a worker within 90 days of the worker asserting rights (e.g. filing a complaint, inquiring about rights, assisting in an investigation), the law presumes unlawful retaliation. Employers then must prove otherwise with strong evidence that any action they took would have been taken regardless of the worker asserting rights.
- Bad Actors Database – As an employer, if you incur three or more labor law violations or fail to comply with a judgment, the Enforcement Agency can add you to this publicly available database. Once on the list, the employer will remain there until it has gone two years without a violation or complies with the judgment.
- Civil penalties and sanctions – Fines (potentially up to $2,000 per violation) and the potential suspension or revocation of business licenses or City contracts are possible outcomes for repeated or egregious violations.
THE DOMESTIC WORKERS BILL OF RIGHTS
Philadelphia’s Domestic Bill of Rights—now strengthened under the POWER Act Enforcement Agency—imposes specific standards on individuals and house holds that employ domestic workers. Domestic workers include nannies, babysitters, house cleaners, caregivers (elderly or disabled), cooks, gardeners, and similar roles—whether full-time, part-time, live-in, or paid by the hour or salary.
- Written Contract – Employers must provide a written contract outlining the essential terms of employment before or on the first day of work. This contract must be provided in English and in the worker’s preferred language. It should include things like job duties, expected hours, wage rate and pay schedule, and more.
- Meal and rest breaks – Domestic workers are entitled to a paid rest break after four consecutive hours of work, and a 30-minute meal break after five hours, unpaid unless interrupted.
- Notice or severance on Termination – two weeks’ notice or two weeks’ severance pay is required if the worker is terminated without notice. For live-in workers, four weeks’ notice or four weeks’ severance is required.
- Recording-keeping and notice of rights – employers must provide domestic workers with information about their rights and maintain documentation showing compliance.
Why This Matters and What Smart Employers Are Doing Next
The POWER Act and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights signal a clear shift: worker protections are no longer passive rules on the books, but actively enforced obligations with real financial, operational, and reputational consequences for employers who misunderstand or overlook their obligations. These laws don’t just expand worker rights—they change how complaints are investigated, how retaliation is evaluated, and how quickly routine employer decisions can draw scrutiny. For employers, the real risk often lies not in intent, but in gaps; outdated policies, informal practices, or unclear documentation that no longer hold up under Philadelphia’s enforcement framework.
Contact Kaminsky Law for a free consultation about the POWER Act
Employers who stay ahead of these changes are focusing on clarity, consistency, and preparedness—from contracts and recordkeeping to how concerns are addressed when they arise. As enforcement continues to evolve, understanding how these laws operate in real-world scenarios can help prevent issues before they escalate. Having informed guidance at the right moment can be the difference between a manageable question and a costly problem and our firm can help.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation. You can also fill out a contact form on the side or bottom of the page, or call us for a free consultation at 215-876-0800.
