As New York begins re-opening schools and businesses, Governor Cuomo has made clear he cares only about getting businesses up and profiting again--at the expense of the health and lives of working people and our families. Due to his actions, we have lost more than 30,000 New Yorkers to COVID-19, and millions of us face economic disaster today.
Even before the pandemic, Cuomo's actions put New Yorkers' health and finances at risk. Workers in our communities have denounced Cuomo's endangerment of the safety of home care workers and care recipients by mandating 24-hour workdays for home care workers, for only 13 hours of pay. These conditions, combined with Cuomo's refusal to provide home care workers with adequate PPE, have caused the deaths of workers and those receiving services. Workers have also come forward to fight against the rampant wage theft in NYS, with over $1 billion of workers' wages stolen annually, threatening workers' livelihoods. Cuomo heartlessly vetoed the SWEAT bill last year, which would have given workers the tools to reclaim their stolen wages.
Rather than give up, those most affected are leading the fight for all workers. We invite everyone to join us in demanding Cuomo:
1) provide sufficient PPE's and other protective measures to health care workers, including home care and nursing home workers,
2) eliminate the 24-hour workday in home care, dividing 24-hour care into at least two shifts of 12 hours, and
3) stop wage theft by signing the SWEAT bill (Securing Wages Earned Against Theft).
