Worker Groups 'alarmed' White House May Delay New Minimum Wage, Overtime Rule

WASHINGTON -- It was once part of President Obama's "We Can't Wait" economic agenda. But now the wait might be getting even longer. The Labor Department is considering delaying a long-awaited rule that would extend new workplace protections to home care workers -- a possibility that has advocates for low-wage workers steamed. In a letter addressed to Labor Secretary Tom Perez on Monday, more than 40 labor unions and worker groups said that they were "alarmed" by suggestions that officials might delay the new regulations and put a "historic workplace victory in jeopardy." "The basic rights of two million home care workers -- predominantly women and disproportionately women of color -- once again hang in the balance, as the administration appears at risk of faltering in the face of opposition," they wrote. The letter included signatures from the AFL-CIO labor federation, the Service Employees International Union and the National Employment Law Project, among others. The new rule would guarantee minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers, a class that's been carved out of such basic provisions for decades.