We all deserve to live with dignity – to provide for our families, to receive the care we need, and to do work that’s respected and protected. Home care workers make that possible every day. We support aging parents, loved ones with disabilities, and millions of people who rely on care to live full lives at home.
But home care workers are currently under attack
The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would take basic labor protections like minimum wage and overtime away from home care workers.
If this rule passes, agencies can once again classify home care workers as “companions” or “live-in” employees, which would let them avoid paying us overtime or even the federal minimum wage. Workers’ paychecks would shrink, while agencies save money and increase profits.
Their attempt to deny home care workers minimum wage and overtime protections will make it harder for us to keep our jobs, and it will make it harder for working families to find the care they need to ensure our parents, grandparents, and loved ones with disabilities get the care they need.
Trump is trying to take away the rights we’ve won
Trump’s proposed rule change would undo over a decade of progress toward recognizing home care as real, professional work. For decades, home care workers were excluded from these protections because the federal government labeled us as “companions” – not the essential health care providers that we are.
In 2013, workers fought back and won. The Department of Labor, under the Obama Administration, updated the rules so that home care workers hired by agencies could no longer be denied minimum wage and overtime. That victory recognized the reality: caregiving is skilled, demanding, and essential work.
Now, Trump’s Department of Labor wants to erase those gains and go back to the old rules from the 1970s. And it’s no accident that this attack is on a workforce mostly made up of women and people of color. It’s a continuation of the systemic racism that has long been used to hold back people of color and scapegoat them for the struggles that all working people face.
We have to take action – here’s how:
- Fight back in California:
- Regardless of what happens nationally, we have to protect ourselves here in California. You can help by calling your representatives and telling them that we need to secure IHSS overtime protections in state law:
- Step 1: Use this link to find your state representatives: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
- Step 2: Call your State Assemblymember and Senator
- Step 3: Ask them to protect IHSS overtime protections by voting “YES” on Senate Bill 156 and Assembly Bill 156.
- Share your story:
- You know the importance of these basic protections better than anyone. Click here to share your lived experience about how overtime protections and fair pay impact our lives, families, and communities.