High Court Rules Against Home Aide on Wages

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: June 12, 2007
The United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday against a home care aide from Queens and upheld federal regulations that exempt most home care workers from minimum-wage and overtime protections.

In a 9-to-0 decision, the court rejected the arguments made by the home care aide, Evelyn Coke, that the Labor Department’s regulations should be invalidated because they conflict with Congress’s intent to broaden wage protections.

The ruling upset labor unions and women’s groups, which fear that it will push many of the nation’s 1.4 million home care workers into worse financial straits. But home care agencies and federal and city officials applauded the ruling, saying it would reduce labor costs for home care, costs that are largely borne by various levels of government.

The Bloomberg administration filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing that a victory for Ms. Coke could force the city, state and federal governments, which finance home care through Medicaid, to pay $250 million more a year to the 60,000 home care attendants in the city.