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Sen. Sherrod Brown Pushes For "Heroes Fund"
Last week U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced his "Heroes Fund" proposal, a pandemic premium pay plan that would help reward, retain and recruit essential workers who are on the frontlines of this pandemic.
"Workers in hospitals and nursing homes, in the service sector and public safety, and throughout our economy are risking their lives during this public health emergency to keep our citizens safe, and their paychecks should reflect that. Frontline workers also need proper protection from the virus at work," said Brown. "The next coronavirus-response package Congress passes must honor the dignity of their work by including this Pandemic Premium Pay proposal to compensate our frontline heroes and mandatory safety requirements to keep them safe on the job."
Brown's plan includes:
- A premium pay increase of up to $25,000 for essential workers, equivalent to a raise of $13 per hour from the start of the public health emergency until Dec. 31, 2020, and
- A $15,000 essential worker recruitment incentive to attract and secure the workforce needed to fight the public health crisis.
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Congressman Tim Ryan agree that essential workers need supplemental pay.
Fudge told Spectrum News 1, "We keep saying they're essential, but we don't treat them like they're essential. You don't pay an essential worker $8 an hour or $10 an hour."
Ryan said, "My goodness, I mean, this is the least we can do. We're throwing around trillions and trillions of dollars. I think those people on the ground should be the ones who get a little bit of reward for really being there for all of us for such a difficult time."
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