Essential
workers are on the frontlines of this pandemic, and many are working in
high-risk conditions without appropriate equipment, safety standards,
or job protections. They include doctors, nurses, home care workers and
other healthcare workers, grocery store and drug store employees,
domestic workers, food service workers, federal, state, and municipal
employees, janitorial staff, farm workers, delivery drivers, warehouse
workers, transportation workers, and child care workers. Reports indicate that these workers may be contracting COVID-19 at a higher rate than the general public.
“Nearly
60 million Americans are still working to keep our internet running, to
deliver our groceries, to make sure we have electricity, and to care
for the sick. In an age of automation, we are reminded of the dignity
and importance of work that is not remote,” said Representative
Khanna. “This crisis needs to open our eyes to the value of workers who
are often invisible, and we need to give them the pay and benefits they
deserve.”
“Essential
workers are the backbone of our nation’s response to coronavirus,” said
Senator Warren, “We have a responsibility to make sure essential
workers have the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to,
and the compensation they deserve. The next relief package must put all
workers front and center -- but it must also specifically include the
policies in our Essential Workers Bill of Rights.”
An Essential Workers Bill of Rights must include:
1. Health and safety protections.
Every employee, including employees of contractors and subcontractors,
should be able to do their job safely, which means having necessary
amounts of personal protective equipment provided by employers at no
cost to the employee. Employers should be required to take proactive
actions when someone at the job site may have contracted coronavirus,
including informing employees if they may have been exposed and
evacuating the job site until it can be properly cleaned. And the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration should be required to
immediately issue a robust Emergency Temporary Standard to keep
employees safe.
2. Robust premium compensation. Every
worker should be paid a livable wage, and essential employees are no
exception. During this pandemic, essential workers should also be paid
robust premium pay to recognize the critical contribution they are
making to our health and our economy. Premium pay should provide
meaningful compensation for essential work, be higher for the
lowest-wage workers, and not count towards workers’ eligibility for any
means-tested programs. It must be retroactive to the start date of the
pandemic, and not used to lower the regular rate of pay for any
employee.
3. Protections for collective bargaining agreements. Collective
bargaining agreements must be protected from being changed or dissolved
by employers during this crisis, including during bankruptcy
proceedings. Workers’ rights to vote for representation in a National
Labor Relations Board election in a fair and safe manner must also be
protected during the pandemic.
4. Truly universal paid sick leave and family and medical leave. Congress must pass Senator Patty Murray’s PAID Leave Act,
which provides 14 days of paid sick leave and 12 weeks of paid family
and medical leave, so essential workers can care for themselves, family
members, or dependents, without being required to submit unnecessary
paperwork. And we must ensure that President Trump is not allowed to
arbitrarily exclude workers to roll back these protections.
5. Protections for whistleblowers. Workers
who witness unsafe conditions on the job or know about workplace
coronavirus exposure must be able to openly identify their concerns and
have them addressed, without fear of retaliation.
6. An end to worker misclassification. The
pandemic has highlighted the longstanding problem of employers
misclassifying workers as independent contractors in order to avoid
providing the full suite of benefits and protections available to
employees. At a time when too many essential workers are being denied
basic employment protections, Congress should crack down on worker
misclassification.
7. Health care security. All
essential workers should get the care they need during this crisis,
including those who are uninsured or under-insured, regardless of their
immigration status. We must use public programs to provide no-cost
health care coverage for all, as quickly as possible. Congress should
also listen to workers who have called for a full federal subsidy for
fifteen months of COBRA for employees who lose eligibility for health
care coverage.
8. Support for child care. At
a time when child care providers across the country are closing their
doors and struggling to survive the pandemic, Congress must commit
robust funding to help these providers and ensure essential workers have
access to reliable, safe, healthy, and high-quality child care.
9. Treat workers as experts. Any
time a public health crisis hits, the government should work with
employers and workers to craft a response and set safety and
compensation standards. Essential workers, and their unions and
organizations, must be at the table in developing responses to
coronavirus - from determining specific workplace safety protocols to
helping develop plans for distributing PPE to holding seats on the White
House Coronavirus Task Force.
10. Hold corporations accountable for meeting their responsibilities. Congress
should ensure that any taxpayer dollars handed to corporations go to
help workers, not wealthy CEOs, rich shareholders, or the President’s
cronies. That means taxpayers and workers should have a stake in how
funds are used and companies should be required to use funding for
payroll retention, put workers on boards of directors, and remain
neutral in union organizing drives. CEOs should be required to
personally certify they are in compliance with worker protections, so
they can face civil and criminal penalties if they break their word. And
any federal funding should be designed to ensure that employers cannot
skirt the rules by firing or furloughing workers or reducing their hours
or benefits in order to access a tax credit or avoid a worker
protection requirement.