UN Experts Raise Alarm Over 24-Hour Shifts for NYC Home Care Workers

The warning comes as New York City continues legislative discussions over measures addressing 24-hour work schedules, following a recent hunger strike by home care workers.

UN human rights experts have renewed concerns over New York City's 24-hour workday system for home care workers, warning that the arrangement may expose workers, many of them migrant women, to exploitation while denying them adequate rest, fair pay and safe working conditions.

The warning comes as New York City continues legislative discussions over measures addressing 24-hour work schedules, following a recent hunger strike by home care workers. The experts say the issue reaches beyond working hours because it touches the health and family lives of workers as well as the quality of care received by older people and persons with disabilities who depend on their support.

According to information received by the experts, many home care workers are required to remain on duty for 24-hour shifts while assisting people who need continuous care. The system is reportedly subsidised and administered with government involvement, raising questions about public responsibility for labour conditions within a sector that provides essential services to some of the city's most vulnerable residents.

Migrant Women Face a Greater Risk of Exploitation

Migrant women make up a large share of the workers affected by the system, reflecting a wider pattern in which care work is frequently undervalued despite demanding significant physical effort, emotional responsibility and long periods of close personal support.

UN experts said the concentration of migrant women in home care is linked to gender inequalities in the labour market and may leave workers more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. They warned that the reported working arrangements may display several indicators of forced labour identified by the International Labour Organization, making the conditions an urgent human rights concern.

Workers should have access to safe and fair working conditions, proper rest, adequate remuneration and effective ways to seek remedies when their rights are violated, the experts said.

24-Hour Shifts Can Affect Workers and Patients

Working for prolonged periods without sufficient rest can place serious pressure on physical and mental health, particularly in home care jobs where workers may be responsible for medication, mobility assistance, personal care and responding to emergencies.

The consequences may also reach the people receiving care. Exhaustion can affect occupational safety and the ability of workers to provide consistent support, creating concerns for older people and persons with disabilities who rely on home care services throughout the day and night.

Family life can suffer as well, since workers assigned lengthy shifts may spend extended periods away from children and relatives. The experts said labour protections should recognise these wider effects rather than treating 24-hour scheduling only as a question of staffing.

Questions Raised Over Pay and Legal Protection

The UN experts expressed concern about what they described as the Government's alleged failure to adequately enforce existing laws covering wages and working conditions. They also pointed to reports that affected workers lack effective remedies and sufficient compensation for the conditions they have experienced.

These concerns sit alongside the broader undervaluation of care and support work, even as ageing populations and people with disabilities depend heavily on workers who provide assistance inside their homes.

The experts have sought information from the US Government about measures taken to improve conditions, provide effective remedies and reform or eliminate the 24-hour workday system in line with international human rights standards. They said they had not received a response to their request at the time of their latest statement.

Legislative Debate Puts Worker Rights in Focus

With discussions over 24-hour schedules continuing in New York City, the experts urged lawmakers, authorities and other stakeholders to consider the experiences of home care workers and their families when deciding how the system should change.

Their intervention places particular attention on whether future rules can maintain reliable care for older people and persons with disabilities without requiring individual workers to endure working arrangements that may undermine their own health and rights.

The experts have already been in contact with the United States Government about the issue and are calling for a system that treats decent working conditions, fair compensation, adequate rest and access to remedies as essential parts of providing sustainable home care.