What we owe the working poor

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

the supreme court handed down an astonishing decision june 11, ruling that under federal law, home-care workers are not entitled to overtime pay or the minimum wage. upholding outdated distinctions between those who labor inside and outside the home, the court excluded more than one million workers from the right to earn a fair wage.

for the plaintiff, seventy-three-year old evelyn coke, the decision means that the many overtime hours she put in during decades as a home care worker will remain unacknowledged and underpaid. for our nation, the decision is a stark reversal of our goal to have all workers be treated equally under the law. home care workers spend their days emptying bedpans, dressing wounds, and bathing and feeding those who are too old or too sick to care for themselves. but their median income is only $19,000 a year, and we apparently lack the will to at least guarantee overtime pay.

unfortunately, evelyn coke and her fellow home-care workers aren't alone. the court's ruling is only the latest symptom of an emerging trend in low-wage industries, where the fundamental legal protections that were hard-fought and hard-won in the last century are breaking down.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070716/bernhardt

[Jo Dirt]

Well, that is the way the system works, the rich get richer and the poor...well, you know the rest.

Laws are made to benefit the companies that keep the prostitutes (our country's politicians) in funds. The prostitutes will only vote how their pimps tell them to vote.

And there you have it. That is how things operate in "the greatest country in the world."

[Morning-glory]

Come to Canada. Our home care workers start at about $12/hour. The PCA's (patient Care Attendants) in our place start at $22/hour. Overtime and full benefits when working full-time.

[Wendy_RN]

Where is the so called "justice" in that ruling? Overtime is overtime, no matter where you work. I am not a home care worker, nor do I know one, but this infuriates me. I cannot see where anyone could possibly justify it. :angryfire

[firstyearstudent]

I can't believe how much this country has changed since the 70s. It's terrifying. I'm so focused lately on this horrible war that I forget how much things are deteriorating right here at home.

[deeDawntee, RN]

Oh my God this makes me want to weep. Or scream. :rotfl:

[PyshRN]

It is hard to believe the government is unwilling to compensate the people who are caring for the ill and elderly. I think a few people need to look into the future and pray that someday they won't need a helping hand with what are for some of us "simple tasks". But then again, the people who are making these decisions probably won't ever get to a point where they can't afford to pay for their own help, or rely soley on Medicare/Medicaid. Frustrating!!:angryfire

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

write your congressman tell him to change the law

[deeDawntee, RN]

write your congressman tell him to change the law

You are absolutely right. It is something that can be done. But does it change anything?

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

You are absolutely right. It is something that can be done. But does it change anything?

Maybe, maybe not. But it's better than doing nothing. Personally, this infuriates me. :angryfire

[CHATSDALE]

this is so sad, w

[Jo Dirt]

You are absolutely right. It is something that can be done. But does it change anything?

I saw a bumper sticker that said If voting could really make a difference it would be illegal.