WASHINGTON – Today the House passed a $2 trillion relief package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that the president is expected to sign.

“While this bill provides much needed relief, it fails to adequately address the needs of many of America’s workers,” said Mark Gaston Pearce, executive director of Georgetown Law’s Workers’ Rights Institute.

“Among the many deficiencies, this bill allows employers to waive paid sick leave for health care workers, who are our heroes in this fight,” he said. “And for the millions losing employer health benefits as they’re laid off, this bill provides no support payments to help them afford COBRA coverage.”

Pearce noted that the bill also fails to mandate that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establish a safety standard for the pandemic and that it ignores the fact that the federal government is now preventing employees from voting to be represented by a union. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has postponed elections during the crisis.

The Workers’ Rights Institute has assembled an online clearinghouse of federal, state and local resources for workers and their families. In includes resources for vulnerable populations such as immigrants, individuals with disabilities, restaurant workers, domestic workers, farmworkers and more. Find it here:

COVID 19: RESOURCES FOR WORKERS