Essential Workers and not just medical

[jackfaire]

There are hundreds of thousands of low wage employees that throughout this pandemic have run our grocery stores, home improvement stores, liquor stores, convenience stores, gas stations etc.

Most of them have been getting by on the same wages as they did before the Pandemic many working 2 or more jobs. With no relief. They've been thanked for keeping the stores open by some people while told it was bullshit the lines were so long and it's all their fault by others.

Are we just going to forget them after this is all over? Should we be trying to improve the life of working Americans? What should we do to honor this workforce?

[Gravekeeper]

Originally Posted by jackfaire

Are we just going to forget them after this is all over? Should we be trying to improve the life of working Americans? What should we do to honor this workforce?

We just gave them money up here. Well, except Alberta/North Texas. They took the extra money from the federal government but won't give it to workers. -.-

[jackfaire]

Ugh so Alberta's disgusting. I wish they would do something like that down here. I got the 1200 but my parents didn't because how the hell was I supposed to know there was going to be a Pandemic. I claimed them on my taxes and then because they're "dependents" they didn't get any money and because they're over 18 I didn't get any money for them.

I didn't begrudge the out of work waitress using the extra unemployment to remodel her home.

I did begrudge the people who already make a lot more money than me coming in maskless, talking about what bullshit this whole thing is and how they're using the "free" money while they can't work to do this that or the other work. Meanwhile I'm risking my life and the lives of my parents to work at the store so they could buy non-essentials instead of you know staying home where it's safe. I feel like there's going to be two completely different sets of people coming out of this Pandemic. There's gonna be the stories of "it was so rough so much time spent at home"

And then people like me who had to keep working the same shitty jobs for the same shitty wages because quitting disqualifies you for unemployment and those "better jobs" they're always telling us to get when we ask for a living wage are mostly shut down right now.

[Gravekeeper]

Originally Posted by jackfaire

Ugh so Alberta's disgusting.

Alberta is where our antimaskers and "ma civil rights" types are. Predictably, they are now the worst place in Canada for covid. The premier is right wing and essentially refuses to accept federal help because the federal government is liberal. It's pretty ridiculous.

Originally Posted by jackfaire

And then people like me who had to keep working the same shitty jobs for the same shitty wages because quitting disqualifies you for unemployment and those "better jobs" they're always telling us to get when we ask for a living wage are mostly shut down right now.

Ah yes, the myth of "well just get a better job". If it was that easy I wouldn't have worked in the salt mines for a decade. My pay was only good because it was grandfathered in from my original company before it got bought out and merged. If I dared lower my hours or tried another job but had to come back I would be rehired at minimum wage.