D. Taylor tells Anderson Cooper of CNN how Unite Here is handling the COVID crisis nationwide. Members of Unite Here from hotels, casinos, and airports have died or been hospitalized. Our national priorities are health and safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), healthcare, and access to unemployment, food banks and help with shelter and evictions. Click here to watch the video.
“This largely hidden workforce, made up primarily of immigrants and people of color, many of whom can’t afford health insurance, is at great risk of contracting the virus.”
Airline catering workers are speaking up – because we deserve affordable health care and safety at work. Read the Boston Globe report.
Ten years after the Great Recession of 2008, billionaire’s wealth increased by 80% — leaving the rest of us behind. Now the “pandemic profiteers” are positioned to take similar increases on a much shorter timeline. At least 8 billionaires made another $1 billion since the start of the crisis, and in the same amount of time Jeff Bezos of Amazon made more than the entire GDP of Honduras. Billionaires then use this money to influence politics and make themselves even richer. Read more here.
This weekend, the Chronicle ran a story about how much better life is for unhoused people who are been sheltered in some of San Francisco’s hotels. They interviewed a guest at a union hotel in the South of Market. Click here to read (requires a Chronicle subscription).
San Francisco and six other Bay Area counties have extended the shelter in place order through the end of May. Following the quarantine will prevent a surge in new cases, help us get past the pandemic and save lives. Specific details on restrictions will be released later this week. Read more here.
Local 2 has been working with the City and County of San Francisco to create a food program for seniors and other vulnerable people who might be unable to get groceries or cook for themselves. We think it’s very important that governments create a food program, and that the food is prepared and delivered by people who have the health, safety, and workplace protections that guarantee everyone is safe.
Meanwhile, Governor Newsom has announced a state plan to pay restaurants to deliver food to certain people. Until a more comprehensive program is set up in San Francisco, some people may benefit from the governor’s plan. Read here for more information.
Unemployment: If you have exhausted your unemployment benefits and do not qualify for disability insurance you may be still eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits up to $600 per week for 39 weeks. Click here to learn more.
Health care: Local 2 health benefits cover the cost of COVID treatment. But if you know someone who doesn’t have good health insurance, there is a new state program that may cover any expenses if they get sick with COVID. It doesn’t matter how much income they had last year, and it is open to everyone who lives in California, including all immigrants. Tell people you know to get the care they need to get healthy — they can apply for the program at clinics and hospitals.
Since Friday, as a measure to flatten the coronavirus curve most Bay Area counties will be requiring people to wear masks in public. In San Francisco people riding transit, working, doing construction or shopping should wear masks and should maintain 6 feet social distancing. Not wearing a mask “is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.” Masks are not required for walking, jogging hiking or biking. Click for more details.
In the March 27th package Congress set aside billions of dollars to provide hotel workers (among others) with financial relief due to unprecedented COVID 19 layoffs. Corporations like Marriott are lobbying the government today for a “no strings attached” bailout, meaning they want to have the liberty to keep the approved money for themselves, shareholders and CEO’s. Join Speaker Pelosi and our labor allies in pushing congress not to cut the workers out the already approved CARES Act. Sign the petition and tell your representative NO BLANK CHECK for corporations, protect workers and protect public health, click here.