OPINION
Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer and the start of a new school year. This year, however, as communities across the country continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and the global recession, it will be unlike any in our lifetimes. We should celebrate this Labor Day by fundamentally rethinking what work means, how we define, educate and support “essential” workers and the new reality that some workers will now work from home on a more permanent basis, while others remain tied to a physical location.
Our frontline workers have been vital in keeping us safe and our country running during this pandemic, and for the first time, they are receiving the appreciation they have always deserved for their work. It took a pandemic for so many to realize that essential workers, including our local health care workers, teachers, grocery store clerks, first responders, postal workers and truck drivers, are the backbone of our country.
We are experiencing substantial changes to how our economy has functioned, and it’s crucial that all workers are properly protected. Do they have the right equipment? Are they protected with benefits and pay as they move between jobs? Are their pensions secure, as the economy will likely take years to return to its 2019 level? What investment should the federal government be making to help get the economy back on its feet?
First and foremost, workers need to be safe, and to do that, they need the right equipment. Over the last six months, our country has seen the same scenario all too often: the essential workers our communities need the most don’t have access to Personal Protective Equipment, potentially endangering themselves and their families.
Workers on the frontline, not just in hospitals, but in nursing homes, supermarkets, schools, public transportation and construction, face serious threats to their health by simply going to work. All workers, especially essential workers, must have access to PPE, COVID-19 testing, and affordable, high-quality health care. That’s the only way to stop the spread of this virus that has killed more than 180,000 Americans. There’s no reason why the richest country in the world cannot protect its workers.
The second step is recognizing that some changes to the economy may be permanent, and we must adapt by creating a system that allows workers to keep their benefits as they change jobs or have multiple sources of income and by paying workers what they deserve. Even prior to the pandemic, there were a growing number of people who do not work in traditional offices. These so-called “gig workers” and independent contractors are employed by not one but several platforms, which changes the traditional employment structures. A proposed portable benefit system and pension programs like in the construction trades where tradespeople work for multiple contractors should be seen as the way to go for gig workers.
We must also demand that workers are paid a fair and living wage. Many essential workers are paid minimum wage, which federally has not increased in 11 years – the longest stretch in U.S. history. Last year, I was proud to have led the fight and voted with my House colleagues, including every Democrat and Republican in the New Jersey delegation, to lift workers out of poverty by raising the wage to $15 an hour predictably by 2025 by passing the Raise the Wage Act. While no one could have predicted the coronavirus, the Senate could have and should have acted sooner by passing this legislation to help our workers and increase the federal minimum wage, because they had already earned it, pandemic or not.
To further assist our workers, we need to make certain that while they’re at work, their kids are being safely cared for and educated. I was once a single father, searching for quality, affordable child care. It was difficult then, but the pandemic has made it nearly impossible. Over the summer, I fought to pass the Child Care is Essential Act, which would create a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization fund. I also pressed the Trump administration to implement a testing and contact tracing plan for the child care industry. Our workers should not have to worry about their children’s safety while they are out trying to make a living.