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By Mark Gruenberg
WASHINGTON—House Democrats released a new $3 trillion stimulus bill on May 12, designed to cope with the continuing economic collapse that coronavirus-caused closures have caused. There’s money for protective personal equipment (PPE), hazardous duty pay for front-line workers, and a number of other pro-worker provisions.
The 1,815-page measure is tentatively scheduled for a May 15 vote and is expected to pass the House on party lines before going to the Senate. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and members of his GOP caucus are already lining up to block the proposal, however, declaring it “dead on arrival.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was happy with the House’s legislation, saying “FDR would be proud.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Saru Jayaraman, founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Center, were less satisfied. Both said the Dems missed an opportunity to restructure the economy towards workers—with Jayaraman denouncing capitalists for the rigged economy, to boot. Among the shortcomings highlighted were the lack of a pay guarantee for everyone and the fact the bill has no worker rights measures in it.
Up to $10,000 hazard pay
The Democrats’ bill includes grants to pay “essential workers”—and the definition of who’s essential is broad, including grocery workers, meat plant workers, warehouse workers, airline workers, restaurant meal deliverers, and more. They’ll all be eligible for $13 more an hour, up to a maximum of $10,000 on top of their current pay. The added pay would be retroactive from Jan. 27 through 60 days after the end of the “national emergency” from the coronavirus pandemic.
And bosses can use those federal grants only to...
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