When the pandemic hit America’s shores, emergency medical technician Blake Anderson did what people in public service always do: he ran toward the danger. He was part of an EMS “strike team” that served people on the quarantined cruise ship Grand Princess.
Child care provider Miren Algorri has seen the parents she serves lose their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. She doesn’t stop working for them even when they keep their children at home. Instead, she helps them navigate resources like unemployment insurance and food banks.
In the behavioral health facility where Mike Yestramski works, six patients and 15 staff members have contracted COVID-19. Two patients have died. But Mike hasn’t stopped going to work. Instead, he’s been fighting with management to get the personal protective equipment he and his coworkers need.
Those are just three of the stories of hundreds of thousands of AFSCME members who have continued to work every single day in the face of this pandemic. They’re making sure school kids are still getting lunches even with schools closed. They’re keeping medical centers clean. They’re caring for those most vulnerable to the virus.
That’s what people in public service do. We cannot thank them enough. But we can do our best.
