02 Oct Senate Must Prioritize COVID-19 Relief for American Workers
Last week, updated COVID-19 relief legislation was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The new measure is a promising, good-faith effort to push negotiations on long-overdue COVID-19 relief forward. It is geared toward helping the people who need it most: front-line workers, the unemployed, the uninsured, retirees and all those who rely on critical public services like schools, fire and emergency medical services, sanitation, and child care.
This legislation includes many of the essential elements of the original HEROES Act, including a strong federal workplace infectious disease standard and critical multiemployer pension relief, and provides new funding to keep aviation workers on the job, all at a price tag designed to bring Senate Republicans and the White House back to the table.
The HEROES Act includes an effective, comprehensive solution to the multiemployer pension funding crisis that would provide long-term security for pension funds, including the B&C Fund, and for beneficiaries.
The COVID-19 relief package has been sitting on Sen. McConnellโs desk since May 15, while over the past several months, the number of those who have been infected with COVID-19 has exponentially increased in nearly every state, and millions of Americans have been left unemployed through no fault of their own.
It is critical that Senators hear from BCTGM members, retirees and their families right now and tell them to pass the HEROES Act! This legislation offers the best opportunity for a legitimate, comprehensive legislative solution to the multiemployer funding crisis.