Minimum Wage Not an Option for Most Home Care Workers

• This summer, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) filed the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act (H.R. 5902) a bill that would extend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to include home care workers.
• This legislation would provide home care workers - who provide essential service to more than 13 millions seniors and people with disabilities - federal minimum wage and overtime protections. Home care workers are currently excluded from the basic workplace standards generally taken for granted by most working people - and poor compensation has led to a growing shortage of workers.
• Passing the Sanchez bill will be difficult, but it is crucial. And you can take action today to move the legislation forward:
• * On Facebook, become a fan of the Department of Labor and post this message: Secretary Solis, home care workers deserve minimum wage and overtime protection. It's time to change the companionship exemption regulations: http://bit.ly/a5pF1e
• * On Twitter, copy, paste and tweet this message: @HildaSolisDOL, it's time to end the exclusion of home care workers from minimum wage and overtime exemption: http://bit.ly/a5pF1e
• Read more about the campaign from the SEIU blog.