Key Takeaways
- • Two Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations studies, one released in June and one in September 2026, find private equity ownership of New York homecare companies has worsened pay, support and working conditions for homecare workers.
- • According to the reporting, private equity has consolidated more than 50% of New York State homecare services, previously delivered by about 600 companies, under a single private equity-owned firm, Public Partnerships LLC, following a 2025 shift backed by Governor Kathy Hochul.
- • Workers described automation, worsened communication, wage theft, managerial negligence and scheduling problems after private equity acquisitions, with researchers linking these conditions to poorer patient care.
- • Researchers argue the concentration of ownership and the sector's low unionization rate could create an opening for unionization covering roughly 200,000 workers.
Summary
Two studies from researchers at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the Worker Institute, argue that private equity funds rapidly acquiring New York's homecare industry have intensified low pay, weak support and exploitation of homecare workers. The first study, released in June, found that private equity firms have benefited from weak New York State-level regulation, a divided and vulnerable workforce, and a 2025 shift, backed by Governor Kathy Hochul, that moved more than 50% of the State's homecare services from roughly 600 companies to a single company, the private equity-owned Public Partnerships LLC.
The second study, published in September, drew on interviews with homecare workers who reported that after private equity takeovers, automation was introduced and communication, wage practices, managerial conduct and scheduling deteriorated. Researchers said these changes often translated into poorer care for patients. One unnamed worker told researchers that employees were not permitted to take days off for funerals or emergencies, including caring for sick children, and that workers who took such leave were written up.
Zoë West, a Senior Researcher on Worker Rights and Equity at the School's Worker Institute, told The Chief in an interview that homecare was an industry ripe for private equity investment because of low pay, limited regulation and low unionization among its workforce. The studies found that private equity ownership often made these existing problems worse.
The authors argue that the consolidation of over half of the State's homecare companies under one private equity-backed firm could paradoxically benefit workers by creating a path to unionization for the sector's roughly 200,000 workers. Unionization is one of the principal avenues the authors identify for workers to improve their conditions. The reporting does not provide details on any organizing campaign or on the response of Public Partnerships LLC or state officials.
The second study, published in September, drew on interviews with homecare workers who reported that after private equity takeovers, automation was introduced and communication, wage practices, managerial conduct and scheduling deteriorated. Researchers said these changes often translated into poorer care for patients. One unnamed worker told researchers that employees were not permitted to take days off for funerals or emergencies, including caring for sick children, and that workers who took such leave were written up.
Zoë West, a Senior Researcher on Worker Rights and Equity at the School's Worker Institute, told The Chief in an interview that homecare was an industry ripe for private equity investment because of low pay, limited regulation and low unionization among its workforce. The studies found that private equity ownership often made these existing problems worse.
The authors argue that the consolidation of over half of the State's homecare companies under one private equity-backed firm could paradoxically benefit workers by creating a path to unionization for the sector's roughly 200,000 workers. Unionization is one of the principal avenues the authors identify for workers to improve their conditions. The reporting does not provide details on any organizing campaign or on the response of Public Partnerships LLC or state officials.
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