Daily Labor Update: COVID-19 Crisis
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08 Apr Daily Labor Update: COVID-19 Crisis

Posted at 16:18h in COVID-19 Daily Labor Update by

A new inspector general report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirms what frontline workers at hospitals have been saying for weeks: Hospitals across America do not have the supplies they need to fight the coronavirus. 

Instead of trying to shift blame or continue to jeopardize state preparedness, the Trump administration must make up lost groundโ€”and fastโ€”to get supplies to hospitals. 

Meanwhile, big businesses like Amazon have failed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces. We need Congress to step in and enact strong worker safety standards. 

After receiving $25 million in emergency federal funding from the CARES Act, the Kennedy Center is reversing course after collective outcry for laying off and furloughing more than 1,100 employees, including the 96 members of the National Symphony Orchestra. 

Undersupplied Hospitalsย 

โ— Hospitals still lack the supplies they need like tests and personal protective equipment (PPE). We need the Trump administration to make up lost groundโ€”fast.ย 

โ— Last week, President Trump blamed hospitals and state officials for being “greedy” with supplies. But a new report from a watchdog inside the government at Health and Human Services confirms what weโ€™re hearing from frontline workers: doctors, nurses and essential medical staff do not have the supplies they need and patients are suffering as a result.ย 

โ— The report found that across the nation, hospitals โ€œsevere shortagesโ€ of testing kits and delays in test results, as well as โ€œwidespread shortagesโ€ of personal protective equipment that keep people safe. 

Amazon and Worker Protectionsย 

Amazon continues to put profits before peopleโ€™s health.ย 

While the company claims new โ€œbenefits changes for employees,โ€ the company is failing to produce different results. Two additional Amazon employees in Ohio have been diagnosed with coronavirus.ย 

Far too many businesses fail to prioritize worker safety. They are either struggling to follow CDC guidelines or blatantly ignoring them.ย Congress needs to step in and enact strong worker safety standards.ย 

The CARES Act was designed to keep workers on the payroll. America’s workers power the economy, and the economy will only recover with us.

The American labor movement will continue to provide oversight and serve as a watchdog, especially if the Trump administration refuses to.ย 

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