Union Members are the Heroes on the Frontlines of the Crisis
We are currently grappling with one of the most significant challenges in decades. The pandemic of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread across the globe and now presents a threat to the health of millions of working families.
While our nation struggles with this ordeal, it has been hard-working union members who have been the first line of defense, protecting and serving the public during this national health crisis. Nurses, teachers, sanitation workers, grocery and warehouse workers, UPS workers, and police and fire departments have all been critical in protecting the public health. They are the unsung heroes who ensure that people are safe, have access to food and that hospitals can receive the supplies that they need during this crucial time. Unions have doubled their efforts, being a key voice in advocating for legislation such as increased paid sick leave, unemployment benefits, and workplace safety accommodations at every level of government.
Our current crisis clearly demonstrates the weakness of the U.S. social safety net and how more often than not, our nation’s most vulnerable families fall through its gaps. Key issues, including poverty, lack of access to good jobs, and healthcare, have the potential to exacerbate the spread and impact of this deadly disease on American families. This is particularly the case for a large swath of the U.S. workforce who are not covered by traditional safety net programs. A prime example of this is workers who are misclassified as independent contractors. This is the case for the majority of port truck drivers who are a vital part of the U.S. logistics industry, transporting billions of dollars of cargo from the ports to warehouses and railyards, which eventually arrive on store shelves.
Corporations such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Home Depot seeking to increase their profits enable a system that classifies drivers as independent contractors to avoid having to pay taxes and provide workers with fair wages, healthcare coverage, and much needed paid sick leave.
These workers are denied basic safety net programs, including unemployment and disability insurance. In times such as these, when work has been limited due to this national health emergency, drivers are still on the hook, having to pay for truck expenses, putting many of them on the verge of bankruptcy. Without sick days, workers from app-based delivery services such as Amazon, Uber Eats, and Doordash risk handling food and packages while sick just to stay afloat.
It is clear that a key component of addressing the health crisis caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is also addressing economic inequality in our country. We need bold leadership to stomp out this disease and strengthen the key institutions that ensure that every U.S. resident is safe and that no one falls through the cracks.
During the height of the Great Depression, when millions of Americans were also living under dire circumstances, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Although several decades have passed since this statement, it still holds true today. Historically, Unions have been the engine that has driven the push for progressive change in the United States that has increased protections for working families and created our middle class. Today, the American Labor Movement continues being that driving force. Our members will continue working hard to serve and protect the general public and fight to hold our elected officials accountable to ensure that working families are protected during this ongoing crisis.
