![]() He would know about the capacity of these federal agencies: He served as labor secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997 and helped implement the Family and Medical Leave Act and a minimum wage increase during his tenure. “At a time in our nation’s history when we need a very strong labor department and a very strong OSHA inside the labor department, it’s basically dead,” says Robert Reich. This week, the AFL-CIO filed a lawsuit asking a court to order the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop temporary emergency standards for workers the union says OSHA has so far issued zero coronavirus-related citations in the pandemic, despite egregious outbreaks in dozens of meatpacking plants and food packing facilities. At the same time, workplace safety has often fallen by the wayside. Some retailers offered temporary $2 pay bumps at the beginning of the pandemic, but many companies are starting to roll these “hero” raises back. With no national hazard pay, essential workers are left to the mercy of their employers. Trump’s labor department “wants to be as friendly as possible to business.” Congress expanded paid sick and family leave to workers through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March, but loopholes in the law left as many as 75 percent of workers without coverage. And so far, these workers haven’t gotten much by way of increased pay and benefits. ![]() The people who make our health care and food supply systems run, deliver packages and meals, and sanitize public spaces have been hit especially hard by the virus. While the symbolic appreciation is nice, the realities on the ground have been less so. Check out our most recent coverage of the coronavirus crisis, and subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.Įssential workers have been heralded as “heroes” during the pandemic, cheered on by applause and music every night in some cities. The coronavirus is a rapidly developing news story, so some of the content in this article might be out of date. ![]()
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