No More 24: The End of Forced Labor in New York City

For the past three years, we have been videotaping events for Ain't I a Woman, an organization fighting for the rights of home care workers. The workers in this group are mainly immigrant women of color, black, brown, and Asian. For years agencies have taken advantage of these workers by forcing them to work 24-hour shifts but only paying them for 13 hours. Two years ago, Governor Cuomo vetoed a bill that would have ended the 24-hour shifts and paid them thousands of dollars that many are owed.

Today, City Councilman, Chris Marte, presented his proposal Int 0175-2022 to end the 24-hour shifts in New York City. This bill would set the maximum working hours an employer may assign to a home care aide. The hours would be limited to 12 hours for any one shift, or within any 24 hours, and 50 hours within a week. A home care aide could be assigned additional hours in the event of an emergency. Workers would no longer be taken advantage of by the system.

This bill is significant for ending the forced labor of workers in New York City. Please contact your city council representative and tell them to sponsor Int 0175-2022. (https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5555482&GUID=C2F0BEF5-D16A-4A77-93E8-E514FB54ACA1&Options=ID|Text|&Search=24+hour+shifts)