Filipiniana News – February 2012 RHYME & REASON A few days ago, the Toronto Star published an article about the allegedly increasing incidence of “nanny poaching”. That is, due to the alleged shortage of live-in caregivers, prospective employers resort to “stealing” other people’s caregivers by enticing them with higher salaries and more attractive benefits. It is a well known fact that in the business world, headhunters and recruiters do it all the time: enticing excellent but employed candidates with better salaries and other benefits to move to other employers. This practice is so widespread that it will hardly prove to be newsworthy. Now when this is happening to live-in caregivers, why is it suddenly considered newsworthy and a matter of great ‘concern’? Are live-in caregivers less deserving of competitive wages and benefits than other workers? Are they considered mere objects ‘owned’ by their employers that they do not have a right...