Home Care Workers Demand: No More 24!!

October 26, 2026

Home Care Workers Against 24-Hour Workdays

Home care workers, furious with Governor Kathy Hochul’s refusal to enforce labor law, prosecute sweatshops and pay back workers’ stolen wages, hosted a press conference in front of her Department of Labor to denounce her corruption. The women workers had filed over a thousand complaints with the Department of Labor for wages stolen from torturous 24-hour workdays, for which they were illegally paid for only 13 hours. Instead of enforcing the law, Hochul has rewarded the worst offenders like Chinese-American Planning Council with billions of dollars in contracts and funding. By refusing to prosecute sweatshops, Governor Hochul shamefully colludes with NYC Speaker Julie Menin to continue the torture of women workers and devalue all women and care work.

Chen Xuezhen, home care worker who worked 24-hour shifts for ten years with Royal Care, said “In 2024, my colleagues in Royal Care and ABI wrote to Governor Hochul, demanding that she enforce the labor law. Yet, we haven’t received a single response! Hochul, do you not see the ‘Employers Wall of Shame’? Why do you refuse to prosecute sweatshops after 4 years? Could it be that you have taken bribes from these home care agencies?! We demand that the law be enforced now—pay us back immediately!”

Chen Guizhu speaking at press conference

Chen Guizhu, home care worker who worked 24-hour shifts for the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) since 2006, said “When I submitted my logs of nighttime duty to the CPC and demanded the stolen wages, they threatened me to go to jail and then fired me. I filed with the Department of Labor for my stolen wages and for retaliation. It’s been 5 years, Hochul did nothing! In June this year, we successfully got the Court to order Hochul to reopen our cases. It’s been 4 months, Hochul still hasn’t reopened them—instead, she has handed over billion of dollars to the CPC! We will absolutely NOT vote for her anti-women stance, we urge everyone NOT to vote for her!”

Yueheng Zhang of Chinese Staff and Workers Association who represents approximately a thousand of home care workers’ 24-hour shift wage theft cases in Hochul’s Department of Labor, said “Back in January, her administration stated an investigation was complete and promised to go ahead and issue an Order to Comply (OTC) to the employers Royal Care, and ABI to pay back wages they stole from 24-hour workdays! Ten months later, she has backtracked the OTC, suddenly telling workers to go through private arbitrations! This is absolutely outrageous! If this isn’t corruption, then what is?! Shall we compile the facts and evidence of Hochul’s corruption and demand a federal investigation?!”

Ilene Brooks speaking at press conference

Ilene Brooks, home care worker who worked 24-hour workdays for 5 years with Ellison Home Care, said “I filed my wage theft complaint at the Department of Labor almost a year and a half ago, and I still have not gotten back my wages! The Department of Labor has acknowledged that Ellison stole $150K from me, but does not do anything to make these criminal agencies actually pay! I am angry at Governor Kathy Hochul who lets our bosses get away with robbing us! Shame on you! Let me tell you right now, we Black women will not give up, and we will not back down!”

Sileni Martinez speaking at press conference

Sileni Martinez, who worked for 26 years doing 24-hour shifts at BHRAGS and First Chinese, said “I had to work 24 hours to survive, but it is my great regret that I had to leave my kids at home alone, sometimes for 7 days straight – to go to work. BHRAGS and First Chinese stole so much from me. But Kathy Hochul protected these sweatshop bosses! We won two decisions against Kathy Hochul (to reopen union workers’ cases), yet 4 months later, why do you still drag out?! Shame on you! You are worse than Cuomo because you hide behind being a woman to sell out and abuse us women! You are not fit to be the Governor!”

Belinda Hu speaking at press conference

Belinda Hu, a member of Youth Against sweatshops, said “Governor Hochul, ‘New York’s first mom governor’ is actually fighting tooth and nail to degrade the position of all women who do care work in our society, people like my mother, my aunts, and my grandmothers who built my family. Care work is the most important work, but Governor Hochul thinks it’s worthless. Hochul, you cry crocodile tears for Jane Doe (Cornell). You pretend to care about our rights, but we know that every time you treat women workers as disposable, belittle our labor, and let the 24-hour workday continue with no consequence, you condemn all of us women to a life of degradation, disrespect, and abuse!”

Home Care Worker letter to Gov. Hochul and Dept. of Labor