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Amid Delay in Federal Wage Protections for Home Care Workers, NCLR Urges Swift Implementation

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org

Late today, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will delay enforcement of minimum wage and home care protections for nearly two million home care workers, 21 percent of whom are Latino. The new regulation takes effect on January 1, 2015, but DOL says it will not enforce the rule until July. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) urges DOL to work diligently during the next six months to assist states in complying with the federal regulations.

“Home care workers have endured 40 years of exclusion from minimum wage and overtime protections,” said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation at NCLR. “States like California and New York, which are adequately prepared to raise workers’ wages, should not hesitate to act. The next six months will be critical for the remaining states to effectively implement these long-overdue wage standards. We expect DOL to use every resource at its disposal to guide states swiftly into compliance to bring dignity to care work.”

One year ago, NCLR, along with civil rights and public health allies, celebrated the historic victory for home care workers, who won expanded coverage under federal minimum wage and overtime protections after being unjustly excluded since 1974. Home care work is the fastest-growing job in the U.S., projected to grow by 71 percent between 2010 and 2020. Most home care workers are the primary breadwinners for their families, but turnover in the industry is high because of substandard wages. In a recent poll by NCLR and Latino Decisions, 70 percent of Latinos reported that they are not earning enough to meet their basic needs.

In response to DOL’s stated plan to “exercise discretion” in enforcement during the second half of the year, from July 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, NCLR was firm in its call to DOL to ensure fair pay for home care workers.

“We look forward to working with DOL to ensure proper monitoring and enforcement of these wage standards that are so important to Hispanic home care workers,” concluded Rodriguez.

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