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At a time when millions of essential workers are putting their lives on the line, we must do all we can to support them. One of the ways we can do that is by providing hazard pay.

Workers who are on the front lines of this crisis — including those who work in grocery stores, nurses, warehouse workers, paramedics, pharmacy workers, farmworkers, food processing workers, truck drivers, postal workers, delivery drivers, and janitors — must be provided hazard pay and safe working conditions. Essential state and municipal workers, such as sanitation workers and transit workers, must receive hazard pay as well.

Each and every day frontline workers are risking their health and their lives to provide us all with important services. And they deserve additional pay for undertaking hazardous work during this crisis.

Add your name if you agree:

Tell Congress to provide hazard pay to all essential and frontline workers during this pandemic.

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We recently reached out to people working on the frontlines at grocery stores, hospitals, Walmart, Amazon, and the United States Postal Service.

We hope you'll take a moment to read a few of their stories today:

"I work for Kroger as a front end manager. We've watched as our job of selling groceries has turned into a dangerous game of what can we actually do to protect ourselves. We see overcrowded stores, uncaring customers, and a state and federal government who has done nothing to acknowledge the severe danger we put ourselves, and our families into every day. We are working long hours and long days. Before this week, I'd had 1 day off in the last 25, while many of my coworkers share similar stories and worse. Hazard pay, tax relief, as well as universal healthcare, for when we inevitably do get sick, would go a long way to ensure we are protected and compensated for what we are going through."
- James from West Virginia

"I work at Whole Foods. Everyone keeps mentioning how heroic it is, but I have no choice. I'm a hostage. I need the health insurance, and obviously the money. I know I'm lucky that I have health insurance as I work with other part time workers who can't afford to buy it through the ACA, and Whole Foods cancelled all part-time benefits earlier this year. I'm scared of bringing the virus home, but I have no choice. Most customers don't maintain an adequate distance and have no problem reaching around workers to get what they need. I work for 6-8 hours a shift without taking off my mask, eating or drinking because I'm too scared of contracting covid and I don't feel safe enough at work to remove it. My supervisors have minimally trained a few of us to do the disinfecting in our department at night, but that's the only time I see our department being cleaned or disinfected. I feel that we should all be given hazard pay and that Whole Foods should pay for everyone's insurance, with no premiums for employees until there is a vaccine."
- Lacey from Pennsylvania

"I'm an RN working in a hospital that treats children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities. When COVID19 hit our hospital, we had many nurses with exposure/symptoms go out sick so it was all hands on deck as far as covering the units. I was called on to cover night shifts on a unit and started doing shifts at the end of March. Back then we were not required to wear masks or any PPE other than gloves, and it turns out one of my patients came down with the virus and passed away. I had done nebulizer treatments on her without proper PPE, but could not get tested because at that point I did not have symptoms. I continued working on the unit which had the most cases and ended up getting sick myself and spent two weeks recovering. I am now back at work but haven't been needed to cover the units again yet as many of our nurses who were sick have recovered and returned to work. We are reusing PPE (refurbishing N95s after using one for the entire shift instead of throwing it away after each patient contact, hanging gowns outside to reuse, etc). Our leadership is doing their best to get us what we need but it's been challenging. I worry after I work a shift on a unit what I'm bringing home to my family and spreading to my unaffected patients. It's very scary. Some nurses have resigned as they're afraid of exposure and have compromised family members. It's been very stressful."
- Kathleen from New Jersey

"I work at an Amazon fulfillment center in Oregon on a night shift. It is a physical and emotional struggle to work each night. My wife has multiple health conditions that make her high risk for serious covid complications, and which have put us thousands of dollars in debt (after insurance). I am afraid for her every time I need to go out, but we live paycheck to paycheck so I can't afford to stay home without pay. I realize I have an essential job, packing and shipping items for people around the country so they can stay home safely, but the danger for myself and especially my wife is real. Significant hazard pay would make a big difference, at least relieving some of the financial stress that hangs over us. We have only my income to rely on, so I need to go into danger for 40 hours every week."
- Jim from Oregon

"I have a mother with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 3 children, and inside of Amazon it is impossible for folks to maintain social distancing. There were people coughing and faces uncovered at my location today. Folks not wearing gloves and protecting themselves. Amazon is a breeding ground for the spread of this virus. So far 9 individuals have tested positive at my location here in Baltimore, and only God knows how many more will."
- Angel from Maryland

"Since the pandemic and social distancing began, I have been doing the work of multiple people with excessive crowds akin to Black Friday every day. We deserve hazard pay for literally putting our lives at risk every day and we deserve respect for what we are doing because companies like Walmart are making record profits, we are getting nothing and I didn’t sign up to lose my life. We all deserve better and if Walmart was really interested in keeping us safe they would give us the option to elect to stay home and remaining on the payroll without the threat of losing our jobs. Walmart can absolutely afford to do that and give us hazard pay for working under hazardous conditions."
- Peter from Louisiana

"I have been working for the Postal Service for almost 25 years. I was there during the Anthrax scare and the UPS strike. This, by far, is more stressful. I am a window clerk at the busiest station in Omaha Nebraska. Our lobby almost always has a line. I wear a mask and gloves to protect me and my customers. There are 3 cases at the USPS in Omaha now. I am afraid of bringing the virus home to my 9 year old son. I am a single mother with a mortgage. Knowing that the Postal Service will be out of money soon puts even more stress on all of us. We do our best to do our jobs. We come to work everyday knowing there is a risk. All I’m asking is to keep this Service (yes Service, we are not a business!) alive. I am counting on my retirement in eight years."
- Stacie from Nebraska

These workers — and millions more like them all across the country — deserve hazard pay. Can you add your name to call on Congress to act?

Tell Congress to include hazard pay for all essential workers in the next coronavirus relief bill.

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It is imperative that the next relief packages put working people first. Thank you for adding your name to join Bernie in calling for hazard pay for those working on the frontlines of this crisis.

In solidarity,

Team Bernie

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