Supreme Court Doesn’t Care About Those Who Care

by   |  June 13, 2007

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that home care workers don’t have a right to fair treatment. Home care workers – you know, the folks who do back-breaking work – the cooking, cleaning, bathing and lifting – that allows your elderly parents or your disabled cousin to live at home with independence and dignity. Yup. The Supreme Court ruled that these low-paid, dedicated and caring workers are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and thus not entitled to minimum wage or overtime pay. In other words, we don’t need to pay a livable wage to workers who make life livable for others. Nice. Home care jobs are stressful – mentally and physically. They are frequently filled by women and people of color, and their wages remain among the lowest in the service industry. In its statement on the Court’s ruling, the National Women’s Law Center points to research showing that median earnings for home health care workers employed on a full-time, full-year basis are below the federal poverty threshold for a family of four. Further, these workers usually lack retirement plans and other employment benefits. In recent years, thousands of these aides across the country have been joining together with AFSCME to fight for fair pay and treatment. United, we will continue this fight for fairness.