Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–September 17, 2013. The rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Labor finally recognizes the value of the work done by millions of people who take care of our aging parents as well as our sisters, brothers and children with disabilities. Congress intended that these hard working individuals, whose labor is often physically and emotionally demanding, have the protection of our nation’s most basic labor standards – the right to be paid a minimum wage and receive more for working overtime. Yet since 1975, the Labor Department has allowed an entire, fast-growing industry to operate outside the law. Today, with the active support of a wide array of advocates, the Obama administration has corrected this historic injustice.
The AFL-CIO applauds the homecare workers whose courage made this day possible—workers like Evelyn Coke, a Jamaican immigrant and single mother who took care of the elderly, sick and dying for years, bathing them, dressing them and feeding them, sometimes working three consecutive 24-hour shifts without overtime pay. Ms. Coke challenged this injustice, taking her case to the United States Supreme Court, resulting in the decision that prompted today’s rule.
Today’s action will not only benefit the largely female, minority and low-wage workers who provide these essential services, it will help to ensure an adequate supply of homecare workers as demand grows, reduce turnover, and improve quality, permitting more Americans who wish to stay in their own homes as they grow old or experience disability to do so.
Source: aflcio.org
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Minimum Wage, Overtime Protections Extended to Direct Care Workers by US Labor Department
