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A note from EPI’s Eve Tahmincioglu: The coronavirus crisis has opened the nation’s eyes to the reality of what workers—especially those on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder—face.
This gives us an opportunity to examine—and seek to rectify—those inequalities. There are steps, grounded in economic analysis, that we can take to make a difference.
Here is a rundown of the latest policy recommendations from EPI’s economists and researchers that will fill worker-protection cracks laid bare during this disaster and bolster a strong recovery—and a better future—for working people.
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At a time when government should be raising the bar on protecting workers, the opposite is happening. Here’s what needs to be done now to make sure workers thrive in the workplace during the crisis:
Federal agencies should enforce worker protections—not narrow or rescind them altogether. More than 33 U.S. senators have called for the Department of Labor to issue additional guidance on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program to ensure workers receive the benefits they are owed. Now Congress must demand the Department of Labor and the Centers for Disease Control reevaluate their guidance that puts workers’ health, safety, and economic security at risk. Otherwise, millions more workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic will not receive the workplace protections they deserve. Read the blog post »
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The Trump administration has weakened crucial worker protections needed to combat the coronavirus
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Domestic workers—people whose worksites are private homes, such as home care aides, house cleaners, and nannies—are in a particularly precarious position during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Domestic workers are losing their jobs in staggering numbers.
- Many lack the protective equipment they need to keep themselves safe.
- To make matters worse, many are excluded from basic workplace protections under U.S. labor law.
And this is all especially troubling because the crisis will worsen existing inequalities. Domestic workers are more likely to have been born outside the U.S. than other workers, and over 90% are women. Over half are women of color.
In this video, Julia Wolfe, EPI’s State Economic Analyst, explains what needs to be done to empower domestic workers and lessen the inequality impact. Watch the video »
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Direct aid to workers was a small percentage of the overall funding in the relief and recovery measures passed so far. Much of the money included in these bills went directly to corporate interests.
The next, much-needed stimulus package should be crafted to make a real difference for hardworking Americans. Here’s how to do it:
- Working people should not have to wait for a fourth recovery bill for vital, lifesaving protections, while corporations have received $450 billion in aid with no strings attached.
- The federal government should take on the role of “payroll of last resort” as some other nations have, in order to keep working people on the payroll with access to health care.
The “phase four” recovery bill should contain enhanced protections for all workers performing essential work during this crisis, such as providing personal protective equipment, hazard pay, whistleblower protections, and bolstered collective bargaining rights. Read the blog post »
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The Trump administration, which recently deemed farmworkers essential to the economy, is now considering lowering the wages of the 205,000 H-2A migrant farmworkers employed in the U.S., according to a published report. But the big question is: Why should migrant farmworkers have to take a pay cut, especially right now, when farmers and ranchers are about to receive at least $16 billion in direct payments thanks to a federal bailout?
The answer is, they should not get smaller paychecks. The only rational explanation for lowering the wages of H-2A farmworkers right now is corporate greed and unquestioning subservience to agribusiness on the part of the Trump administration.
We offer a breakdown on what farmworkers are paid, the reasoning behind it, and what needs to be done going forward. Read the blog post »
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law last month, and earlier policy responses to the pandemic are steps in the right direction but don’t do enough to protect workers, including older workers, who are at much greater risk from COVID-19.
Why do they need additional protections? Older workers who lose their jobs face harsh consequences:
- They have less time to make up for lost earnings and savings before retirement.
- Many have trouble being hired and retire before they’re ready.
- They’re often forced to accept large pay cuts because some skills and knowledge they’ve built up aren’t transferable and may be undervalued by prospective employers.
We offer some recommendations that are needed now to lessen the harsh impact on older workers, including paid sick leave and work-sharing programs. Read the blog post »
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Black economic voices in the stimulus and recovery discussion could ease the disparate impact on black workers.
Read this guest column by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, a Harvard University Research Scholar in Economics.
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Here’s how to fill the worker-protection cracks revealed by a crisis.
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