4 results for tag: essential workers
Lessons from the Pandemic on How to Protect and Support Essential Workers
Hosted by Farida Jhabvala Romero
May 7, 2021
Low-wage frontline workers have kept Californians fed and vulnerable populations cared for since the start of the pandemic. And they’ve borne a high cost for their work. A recent study out of UC Merced finds a 30% increase in deaths for essential workers in 2020. We’ll hear about people working in restaurants, grocery stores, home care, and other industries who feared losing income -- or their jobs --if they took time off to recover from COVID-19. And as the state moves toward a full reopening next month, we’ll look at lessons learned during the pandemic on how we can better protect and ...
Push to get essential workers hazard pay during coronavirus outbreak
By Viktoria Hallikaar
April 21, 2020
As essential workers continue keeping our nation afloat a toll is being taken on them.
Long hours, close contact with others, and a risk for catching the virus are all things they have to consider.
Now, more people are pushing for increased pay.
"They deserve a fair and equitable living wage for what they do and that isn't what's happening here," said Leslie Dach, the chair of Protect Our Care.
Essential employees are continuing to show up to work, knowing they're vital for health care, food distribution, and more,
Many come in every day worried they could be out of a paycheck if they get the ...
Human rights advocates call for higher minimum wage for essential employees
By Dallas Parker
April 14, 2020
While thousands of Alabamians have filed for unemployment benefits in the past few weeks, essential workers are still making their daily commutes. But is their risk worth the reward? One human rights advocacy group believes the state should be taking better care of its essential employees.
The Center for American Progress said employees whose wages have not kept up with inflation and increasing costs are feeling the biggest economic crunch during this crisis. Minimum wage workers make up a significant portion of essential employees.
“We need higher minimum wage to help reflect the essential role that ...
Why do so many ‘essential’ workers get paid so little. Here’s what economists have to say
By Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham
April 12, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has divided the American labor force into two classes: those who are essential to keeping society running, and everyone else.
The essential workers harvest our food and stock our grocery shelves. They fulfill orders at warehouses and deliver goods all over the country. They drive our buses, gas our cars and keep our streets clean. They watch our children and care for us when we fall ill.
They also happen to be among the lowest paid in the country. So why the disconnect? And, conversely, why are relatively nonessential jobs in such fields as entertainment and ...