Workers claim they routinely work up to 96 straight hours without rest \u2014 while getting paid for only a fraction of that time.<\/p>\n
The organizers and workers \u2014 many of them elderly immigrant women from Asia and Latin America \u2014 gathered on Broadway near Murray street, braving unseasonably cold temperatures and vowing to stay until the Mayor and the Council approve a bill that would cap shifts at 12 hours a day. The shift would effectively replace 24-hour shifts with a pair of 12-hour shifts. Some worker allies, including the city\u2019s worker protection agency, say the effort must be supported with additional state funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mireya Silva said she was forced into early retirement due to the physical strain of her work. The 73-year-old said she\u2019s had multiple surgeries to address chronic pain and injuries she\u2019s sustained on the job, including spinal issues from standing for hours at a time and turning over patients in their beds, along with stress fractures on her hands from wrangling patients and carting their wheelchairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I could have worked longer,\u201d Silva, who retired in 2016, said in Spanish. \u201cBut the work was killing me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 24-hour shift is abuse, plain and simple,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Home](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/061826_health_aide_sit_in-6.jpg\")
Home health aides began a sit-in outside City Hall, March 18, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/THE CITY<\/p>\n
The pending proposal, which was re-introduced<\/a> by Councilmember Christopher Marte in January, has 17 sponsors but has not yet been put to a vote by the labor committee. The earliest the Council would vote on the bill is March 26, and it is not possible for the mayor to pass this or any other pending legislation before that date. Marte told THE CITY he is \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d lawmakers will be able to vote on his bill by next week.<\/p>\n Mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec said Mamdani is \u201ccommitted to working alongside home care workers, the Council, and state government to pass stronger protections that improve working conditions for caregivers and ensure they can provide the high-quality care their patients deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMayor Mamdani has always stood with home care workers in the fight for dignity on the job: fair wages, reliable hours, and respect owed to those who make it possible for so many New Yorkers to live safely at home,\u201d Pekec added.<\/p>\n In December 2024, as an assemblymember and Democratic mayoral hopeful, Mamdani rallied with home care workers outside of the state Labor Department\u2019s Brooklyn headquarters, declaring<\/a>, \u201cWe need to end the 24-hour work day.\u201d<\/p>\n Home care programs are administered by organizations that receive state funding through Medicaid, over which the City Council has no control. State lawmakers have long opposed similar statewide proposals<\/a> to split up 24-hour shifts over concerns that, without additional funding, expanded worker protections could cause nonprofit agencies to risk insolvency, cost workers their jobs and leave vulnerable patients without needed care.<\/p>\n At a Feb. 18 hearing, a representative from the city\u2019s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said the agency supported the intent of Marte\u2019s bill, while expressing concerns that \u201cprohibiting 24-hour shifts without additional Medicaid funding to home care providers could have unintended consequences for patients and workers.\u201d<\/p>\n Replacing 24-hour shifts with two 12-hour shifts could cost an additional $645 million per year in New York City, the New York Times reported<\/a>, citing an analysis by 1199SEIU, the union which represents many home care workers across the city and state.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an interview, Marte dismissed concerns about costs as \u201cfear-mongering,\u201d noting that some home care agencies have already voluntarily moved away from the 24-hour shift model.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about a fraction of the home care industry,\u201d Marte said, citing data from DCWP that only about 8-10% of home care workers in New York City work 24-hour shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this year, a state judge sided with home care workers<\/a> who were seeking to force the state Labor Department to reopen hundreds of wage-theft cases after investigators dropped them<\/a> in 2023. In court papers, one worker who sued the state over her dropped wage-theft case claims she is owed as much as $171,000 in back pay.<\/p>\n But workers who spoke with THE CITY have said that no amount of money is enough to make up for the cascading health issues they accumulated over many years on the job.<\/p>\n Belkis Cid de Bruno said her body has \u201ccompletely deteriorated\u201d as a result of more than 10 years spent working the 24-hour shift, pointing to chronic pain in her knees, heart issues and insomnia. The 78-year-old called on Mamdani and other elected officials to \u201cend the abuse, and do the right thing for home care workers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the patient sleeps, I can\u2019t sleep, and when I want to sleep, the patient is awake,\u201d she said in Spanish. \u201cIt\u2019s a never-ending cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t