A major Latino group is urging the Department of Labor to push states along in complying with new protections for home care workers after the agency decided to give states more time to do so.
The DOL extended minimum wage and overtime protections to nearly 2 million home care workers, 21 percent of whom are Latino. The regulations were to go into effect at the start of 2015.
But late Tuesday, the administration said it would delay enforcement of the protections, putting off the start of enforcement until summer of next year. In a blog item, the DOL said while some states are ready to implement the new rules, others, “because of budget and legislative processes,” have requested an extension. The DOL said the delay would help avoid disrupting innovative care services.
The National Council of La Raza pushed for DOL to get states on board with the protections.
“Home care workers have endured 40 years of exclusion from minimum wage and overtime protections. States like California and New York, which are adequately prepared to raise workers’ wages, should not hesitate to act,” said Eric Rodriguez, an NCLR vice president.
IN-DEPTH
- Wage Theft Costs Low-Wage Workers Billions
- Should Workers Get Paid for Security Checks
- Labor Sec. On Immigration: Get It Right First
--Suzanne Gamboa
