Washington, DC (WorkersCompensation.com) - As the nation concludes National Home Care and Hospice Month, the U.S. Department of Labor's work on behalf of the country's professional caregivers continues with the launch of an ongoing education, outreach and enforcement initiative to ensure their employers pay them their rightful wages and honor all protections afforded them by law.
Disproportionally women of color and among the nation's lowest paid workers, caregivers were among millions of frontline workers – often exposed to the risks of coronavirus infection – who labored through the pandemic as they tended to the needs of the sick, elderly and children.
“Professional caregivers have always been and continue to be some of our nation's most essential workers. We look to them to care for us and our families and they deserve our appreciation, respect and protection,” said Acting Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “The education, outreach and enforcement initiative we are announcing today will help ensure the rights of all workers are protected and employers who flout the law are held accountable.”
Led by the department's Wage and Hour Division, the initiative focuses resources on educating essential care workers and their communities about their rights to minimum wage and overtime pay and how to file a complaint if they believe their rights have been violated. The initiate will also target misclassification of workers as independent contractors, an illegal practice...
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