‘Heroes Fund’ for essential workers could get them $25,000 in hazard pay. What to know
Congressional Democrats are pushing for a pay increase that would benefit the nation’s essential workers, who many have hailed as “heroes” for remaining at work amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Under the proposed “Heroes Fund,” frontline workers from hospital staff and grocery store clerks to transit workers and truck drivers would be eligible for a premium pay raise of up to $25,000, or about $13 per hour for medium wage workers, POLITICO reports.
The benefits, which would run from the start of the outbreak through the end of the year, would go to those earning less than $200,000 annually, with $5,000 for employees who earn more.
“If we’re going to tell these workers they’re essential to our country, you have to go to work during a public health emergency, then their paycheck should reflect that,” Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, lead sponsor of the proposed bill, said in a statement, according to WSYX.
“They’re the ones that keep our society together during this pandemic allowing others to stay home,” Brown added. “They’re the ones people don’t notice until they’re not doing their work.”
The proposal also includes a $15,000 incentive aimed at recruiting and retaining the workforce whose work is needed now more than ever, WUSA 9 reports. As of April 10, the U.S. has nearly 470,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 16,500 deaths.
The virus, which can cause severe respiratory illness, is expected to peak by Easter Sunday.
Niya Banks is among the thousands of Washington, D.C., Metrobus operators still working despite the outbreak. She told WUSA 9 she supports the push by Senate Democrats to increase pay for essential workers like herself.
“We have one of the most dangerous jobs in the city right now,” Banks said. “I actually think hazard pay is a necessity in a time like this.”
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) agreed, arguing that hazard pay for essential workers should be included in the next emergency relief package passed by Congress.
“No proposal will be complete without addressing the needs of our doctors, nurses, medical workers, truck drivers, grocers, transit workers, and more,” Schumer tweeted Tuesday, adding, “Our Heroes.”
Several other Democrats are backing the proposed bill including Sens. Gary Peters (Mich.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Bob Casey (Pa.), according to POLITICO.
The pay raise, which would be funded by the federal government and private entities, hasn’t gained any Republican support, however. For now, the GOP is focusing its attention on the results of the recently passed $2 trillion stimulus before it agrees to more funds for the American people.
“There’s been some ideas that have erred too much on government being the driver of how we come out of this,” GOP Sen. Mike Braun (Ind.) told POLITICO when asked about the pay increase.
The first stimulus checks to Americans earning less than $75,000 could go out as soon as next week, the Los Angeles Times reported, but others may have to wait a while longer for financial relief. Congress also recently approved the CARES Act, which provides loans to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schumer said he hopes the “Heroes Fund,” which hasn’t been formally introduced, eventually gets “strong bipartisan support.”
“We hope that our Republican colleagues will join us in noting this hero’s fund is so very needed,” he said. “We’re just putting the proposal out today and we’re trying to round up support.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 11:04 AM with the headline "‘Heroes Fund’ for essential workers could get them $25,000 in hazard pay. What to know."