On International Women's Day: Honor Essential Workers with Pandemic Pay

On March 8, International Women's Day, an outpouring of over 100 members of Recovery for All unions, commmunity and faith groups, demanded pandemic pay for essential workers as they told their stories to the Labor and Public Employees Committee of the State Legislature.

While the 13 billionaires in Connecticut greatly increased their wealth during the pandemic, many thousands of families are suffering, especially low wage workers of color and women.

Speaking on behalf of the Connecticut Communist Party, Joelle Fishman emphasized, “Pandemic pay for essential workers is a small step to provide dignity and economic well being and make whole the largely Black and Latino workforce, mainly women, in service industries who have risked their lives to do their jobs.”

Jahmal Henderson, a food service worker at Southern Connecticut State University, told his story. “Each and every day workers like myself faithfully came to work since the start of this pandemic exposing ourselves, which in turn exposed our entire families every day to this potentially fatal virus. Essential workers like me a food service employee at a university, like the women and men at grocery stores, hospitals, correctional facilities and many other places, kept our state moving despite the personal risk to our health, and while it was nice to be called a hero, it is time to treat these essential workers as the heroes they truly are. It is time to pass pandemic pay for essential workers.”

Calling for corrective action, Fishman said, “How appropriate this hearing is on International Women's Day, when we celebrate the courageous women in our country who walked off their sweatshop jobs in the last century demanding health safety wages and the right to vote. awakening the solidarity of women around the world.”

“It is the responsibility of government to make sure families can thrive. The harsh lessons of the pandemic require concrete steps to meet essential workers needs, address discrimination according to race and gender and ensure a Recovery for All.

“On this International Women's Day, let us honor the working women organizing and standing up for their rights and families,” said Fishman concluding that “pandemic pay will be a powerful step toward improving quality of life and the economy for all workers in Connecticut.”