Page 12 - Work Force June 2020

Labor constituency groups highlight need to help workers
As state and local government budget revenues decline and some private businesses are closing, our nation’s economy is struggling to keep afloat while many workers feel uncertainty.
This is particularly worrisome
for labor constituency groups, who are now speaking out about the disparities many union members face as the viral pandemic continues.
The Labor Coalition for Community Action, which includes AFL-CIO constituency groups A. Philip Randolph Institute, the
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and Pride at Work, is providing a forum for members of the groups
to join together to highlight the need to protect working people who are being greatly affected by the pandemic.
Nearly one in four workers is employed in industries that have been affected by COVID-19, including health care,
education, retail
and food services.
According to the
U.S. Department
of Labor, there are
an estimated 67
million workers
who risk losing
their jobs,
including those
held by women,
non-Caucasian
workers and members of the LGBTQ community.
These workers not only hold many of the jobs most at risk, but hold many of the essential, front- line public jobs that have kept our communities safe and running during the pandemic, including
custodial, health care and direct care titles.
Non-Caucasian communities endure even further economic disadvantages, with an estimated
8 percent of Black and Latino workers earning below poverty level incomes, compared to just 4 percent of Caucasian workers.
These impacts compound even further when a worker also identifies as LGBTQ. The poverty rates for LGBTQ women, immigrants and non-Caucasians are all higher than the national average.
From left, the Guild for Exceptional Children’s Chief Operating Officer Patricia Romano joins CSEA Guild for Exceptional Children Local President Bonnie Diaz and CSEA Contract Administration Specialist Neil Kelly in receiving a shipment of face shields from Shields for Heroes. (See page 7 for more on Shields for Heroes.)
For Guild
for Exceptional Children Local President Bonnie Diaz, the pandemic has merely unveiled what poor, communities of color have known and endured all along.
Diaz
as factors that contributed to the disproportionate impact the coronavirus has had on African American and Latino workers.
“You can’t make a choice when you’re getting paid a minimum wage,” said Diaz. “It’s either my health or my job.”
“This pandemic has proven that working women must stand up and demand a voice
membership to help them get through these tough times.
“We must ensure
that our response
to helping our
members during
this extraordinary
time is inclusive
and robust,”
Love said. “This
unprecedented
pandemic has
proven that our
collective well-being depends on every individual connecting with union resources to lift up our working families. Now more than ever, people of color need to reach out to each other and lend a helping hand.”
Diaz called for a united front to avoid a similar fate for communities of color in the future. Whether it’s fighting a pandemic or job cuts, “We need to create guidelines and conditions where we can all stand together, in solidarity,” said Diaz. “Before New York is reopened, we also need to consider those who may be getting evicted and those who don’t have enough money
for food.”
— Ove Overmyer and David Galarza
“There’s nothing new; it’s only been brought to light,” said Diaz. “The lack of access to health care, the low wages that don’t allow
essential workers, who are mostly people of color, the privilege of staying home. The exposure is greater for us because we have no choice but to put ourselves in harm’s way.”
Diaz noted how the lack of investment in
public services and agencies combined with the initial lack of PPE, excessive mandatory overtime due to short staffing and the
overall disregard for the people and individuals who live and work in group homes and other OPWDD and OMH facilities, can all be considered
Love
at work and have
a say in their own
future,” said CSEA
Erie County Local
President Denise
Szymura, who also
serves as chapter president of the WNY Coalition of Labor and Union Women (CLUW). “Hopefully, when
we look back on this time in history, we will be able to measure some progress in this department. We will continue to share resources and raise awareness about the disparities in the workplace and build toward improving outcomes for women in particular.”
CSEA Roswell Park Memorial Institute Local 1st Vice President Paula Love, who is a member
of CBTU’s Buffalo Chapter, said people of color are relying on union
12 The Work Force
June 2020
“This unprecedented pandemic has proven that our collective well-being depends on every individual connecting with union resources to lift up our working families.”
Szymura