On March 26, 2019, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that home health aides are not entitled to payment for sleep and a break even if they are working a 24-hour shift. The decision relied on an interpretation of the New York State Department of Labor’s (DOL) Miscellaneous Industries and Occupations Minimum Wage Order (Wage Order). Specifically, the issue in the case involved whether employers are required to pay each hour of a 24-hour shift; or if they are only required to pay 13 hours if the worker is given an 8 hour sleep break, in which they are given 5 interrupted hours of sleep, and three hours of meal break time.
Continue reading “New York Court of Appeals Makes Monumental Wage and Hour Decision Regarding Home Healthcare Workers”