On Thursday, the White House proposed new rules that will help keep money in working family's pockets affecting nearly 2 million in the home care service sector. These rules will help ensure that work is properly classified so appropriate compensation will be paid. It would expand minimum wage and overtime protections ensuring that all home care workers employed by third parties will receive protections.

President Becky Williams says, "As we work to rebalance our long term care systems, wage and hour protections for providers will help expand this cost-effective healthcare field and create more jobs. In West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, most home care providers, who work independently or through agencies, will be protected by federal minimum wage laws as well as be able to earn overtime for the care they provide their consumers."

The new provisions mean that if an individual is providing care for more than 40 hours per week, their hourly rate for all the time over 40 hours would be overtime and compensated at time and a half. Currently, home care workers are not covered under the Fair Labors Standards Act, but with these new rules will make many workers eligible for minimum wage and overtime. Homecare workers should no longer feel invisible and these protections will ensure better working conditions and compensation.

This issue gained national attention in 2007 when Evelyn Coke, a home care worker, took her case to the Supreme Court arguing that she should be fairly compensated for working as much as 70 hours per week. Unfortunately, she lost her case, but thanks to President Obama's decisive action, home care workers will now have minimum wage and overtime protections if the proposed rules are adopted.

Anthony A. Caldwell
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, DISTRICT 1199 WV/KY/OH, CTW,CLC
614.324.7413(w)|330.651.2042(c)| acaldwell@seiu1199.org