This week, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The governor framed his objections in technocratic terms, but the fight for fair labor standards for domestic workers, at the cutting edge of both feminist and labor struggles in this country, have far-reaching political consequences.

In his veto statement, Brown said, “In the face of consequences both unknown and unintended, I find it more prudent to do the studies before considering an untested legal regime for those that work in our homes.” The implicit address to the upper classes is striking: “our homes.”  What’s explicit is the action serves to keep invisible work invisible.  And invisible work is cheap. Brown’s caution about disrupting something as “intimate” as care work is simply the denial for 200,000 Californians of overtime pay, meal and rest periods, and uninterrupted sleep.

Let’s run a quick fact check for the Governor.  His primary concern, was how “overtime, rest and meal periods” for homecare workers might negatively impact people who need round-the-clock care. National data from the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute shows that improved labor protections for homecare workers are actually better for consumers both in terms of the quality and cost of care.