Supreme Court to Consider Fair Pay Challenge, Decision Expected Monday

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether it will review a critical lower court decision on home care workers’ wages during its scheduled June 23 conference session.

Advocates expect that the court will announce whether it will accept or reject the home care industry’s petition on June 27.

In August 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Columbia Circuit upheld a federal rule change granting minimum-wage and overtime protections to home care workers for the first time.

Home care workers have long been denied these basic wage rights under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

However, legal challenges from the home care industry have cast doubt on the future of these hard-won rights.

The U.S. Department of Labor, which promulgated the rule change, began officially enforcing the enhanced labor protections in January.

— by Matthew Ozga