Should I sue my former host family?
Hi everyone. I’m a former au pair in California, and I’m wondering if I should consult an attorney about my experience with my previous host family.
My host mom repeatedly made me feel like I owed her work hours whenever I was away from the house, even when the time away was for something related to the au pair program or something she had arranged.
For example, when we went to get my Social Security Number, we were away from the house for about 3 hours because they lived in a very remote area. I was told I had to “make up” those 3 hours, so I had to work 3 hours past my normal end time that day.
Another example some holidays when the family was going to be home, so I was given the day off. Afterwards, my host mom expected me to make up those hours by working an additional 8 hours on a weekend of her choosing.
There was also a family trip where they purchased my flights. The return trip took about 11 hours including flights and connections. I wasn’t caring for the children during the flights, but I was traveling because of the family’s plans, not because I chose to take personal time. My host mom counted that travel day as my day off and then scheduled me to work around 10 hours per day for the rest of the week.
There were also occasions when I worked more than the program’s weekly hour limit and was expected to work several consecutive days.
I eventually contacted my LCC because I was concerned about the situation.
I have messages and schedules documenting some of this. Was this normal/allowed under the au pair program, or should I speak with a California employment attorney about whether I have any legal options?
Ps:factual, assim:
The constant feeling that I “owed” my host mom hours of work had a significant impact on my mental well-being. I felt anxious and constantly worried about whether I was somehow behind on hours or doing something wrong. When I eventually learned that making up hours this way was not part of the au pair program and told her, she said she was disappointed. What concerns me even more is that, despite knowing my concerns, she appears to be using the same approach with her current au pair.