Home Attendants and Community Supporters Thank Assemblymember Ron Kim
Home Attendants and Community Supporters Thank Assemblymember Ron Kim, Demand that Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) Stop Breaking the Law, End the 24-hour Shifts and Pay Back $90M of the Wages Stolen over 10 Years
When: Wednesday, January 12, 2:30PM
Where: Queens Public Library at Flushing (41-17 Main St, Flushing, NY 11355)
Flushing, NY - CPC home attendant workers and supporters gathered in front of Flushing Library to celebrate Assemblymember Kim’s investigation of CPC’s years of wage theft and repeated legal efforts to exploit, undermine and silence home attendants forced to work 24-hour shifts. Assemblymember Ron Kim’s 103-page groundbreaking report on CPC published on January 4, 2022, makes clear CPC is responsible for the years of stolen wages.
The report also highlights through interviews with CPC workers how CPC has refused to record night duties, threatened workers for trying to seek pay for night hours and clients for seeking help at night, and the toll the 24-hour shifts take on the workers’ health and wellbeing. It is made clear that the workers cannot get proper and necessary rest. As a result, the workers suffer from ongoing health conditions, pain and injuries.
According to the data collected over the years from affected workers, the Ain’t I a Woman Campaign estimates that CPC owes a total of $90 million in stolen wages solely from the unpaid hours of 24-hour shifts; this figure does not include unpaid overtime wages. Additionally, because CPC refuses to stop the 24-hour shifts, and refuses to pay workers for night hours, the amount of wages stolen increases each day.
Speakers urged the public and elected officials on city and state level to not accept this massive wage theft, nor the continuation of abusive 24-hour shifts that destroy women of color workers’ physical and mental health. Speakers called on elected officials to join Assemblymember Ron Kim in condemning and boycotting CPC until they split all 24-hour shifts in 12-hours, pay back all the stolen wages and publicly apologize to the workers.
Home attendants are encouraged to contact the Flushing Workers Center at (718) 600-0793 to recover stolen wages and join the fight to end 24-hour workday.
Mei Kum Chu, a retired CPC home attendant who was injured while doing 24-hour shifts, says: "I would like to thank Assembly Member Ron Kim for bravely speaking out and putting a spotlight on the oppression and violence of 24-hour workdays that CPC has done to us for years. I hope this report will inspire more people from all walks of life to condemn CPC's wrongdoing."
Assemblymember Ron Kim: “We cannot allow agencies or entities that claim to embrace fair labor practices exploit workers. Though I have partnered with their main organization on important issues in the past, CPC should stop exploiting or denying its responsibility to its current and former employees and equivocating on its responsibilities as a home care agency. CPC must also immediately end its use of the 24-hour work shift, remunerate unpaid wages to current and past workers, and publicly apologize to those CPC workers for the pain and suffering they’ve been through
"CPC has stolen an estimated $90M in wages and destroyed the lives of Chinese immigrant women workers with the 24-hour workday: they have even threatened home attendants with jail for speaking up against the abuse. Working 24-hour shifts for years on end has ruined workers' health, led them to develop life-long disabilities, and robbed them of the ability to sleep. Assemblymember Kim's report shines a light on what CPC home attendants have been saying for years: the 24-hour workday and CPC's relentless defense of it are racist violence, and it must end", said Vicki Niu, Ain’t I a Woman Campaign representative
“Flushing Workers Center calls on all elected officials to join Assemblymember Ron Kim in his efforts to ensure CPC workers and all home care workers finally see justice. CPC has ignored, dismissed and aggressively fought their workers for 7 long years. As the 3rd largest home care agency in the state and as seen in their actions laid out in the report, they have led the industry in suppressing workers who have bravely fought back against the violent conditions of the 24-hours workday and ensuring that this racist and sexist system continues. CPC must be held accountable now.” said Sarah Ahn, Flushing Workers Center
“We are sick and tired of the excuses and delays, the continued abuse and exploitation of our sisters, mothers, and grandmothers who work in the home care industry, the disrespect and callousness shown to the frontline workers who have kept our families safe during the pandemic,” stated John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce. “City Hall and Albany must immediately follow up on the investigatory report issued by Assemblyman Kim and stop funnelling money to taxpayer-funded agencies like CPC who flout the law and endanger the lives of our essential workers.”