Still No Hazard Pay For Essential Workers As Pandemic Worsens

In the past five months, frontline workers receiving hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing issue. Some states, like Pennsylvania, have finally granted their essential workers with hazardous pay. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate and House have yet to agree on the terms of the Heroes Act which would give $200-billion to essential workers who have remained at work throughout mandatory shutdowns and re-openings. As coronavirus cases continue to rise, the demand for healthcare workers has increased. Tia Bright, RN, BSN at the VA Hospital in Augusta, GA has seen the effects of the coronavirus in her place of employment.

“I have been a nurse for eight long years and we chose this career. No one forced us to be nurses. We come in close contact with many different life threatening diseases on a daily basis”, said Bright.

One of the main concerns with the vastly growing number of COVID-19 patients is if there are enough workers to meet the demand of care. Tia Bright, RN, BSN knows the challenges of meeting such a demand. “There is a nursing shortage and we do have a high turnover rate. So this makes it difficult at times to have adequate staffing. We sometimes have to pull nurses from other units to have enough manning.”

To date, the CDC reported 165,188 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state of Georgia. Essential workers are not exempt from becoming infected by COVID-19, although they practice safety guidelines as recommended by the Center for Disease Control.

“Currently on my unit we have three staff members out for positive COVID-19 testing. They did not contract it from a patient, but from being out in the community”, said Bright, RN, BSN.

In June 2020, the unemployment rate was at 11.1% in the United States. While those receiving unemployment benefits saw an additional $600 in pay, those still employed and deemed essential have yet to see an increase in their salaries. Because of the high-risk of becoming infected with the COVID-19, frontline workers feel that it is past time for them to be compensated. Tia Bright, RN, BSN said, “The only difference this time, is it's during a pandemic. I think we should have hazardous pay, not just now, but always.”

As the Senate and the House continue to deliberate over the terms of the Heroes Act, others fear that essential workers may continue to suffer from being overworked, potentially exposed to the COVID-19, and underpaid. However, Tia Bright, RN, BSN feels that as a nurse, she has a call to duty. Bright feels that although the climate is not favorable, she does not expect to see an increase in resignations in her facility.

“Truthfully I don't believe any nurse ever expected hazard pay to begin with. In the beginning of all this, high risk areas with extremely high numbers of positive cases had no choice but to offer hazardous pay. This was the only way they were able to get the amount of staff they needed to care for those patients. Yes, the number of cases are still high, but you don't see a lot of medical facilities offering hazardous pay anymore. They just close different units (clinics) that are not being utilized as much and use that staff to fill in where needed.”

Essential workers expect to hear a decision on whether or not they receive hazard pay in the coming weeks as deliberations continue in Washington, D.C. Although this would be good news for those who have been working since the start of the pandemic, it does not relieve the main concern for most of these workers.

Bright, a mother of two and wife expressed her personal concerns, “There is a huge chance of contracting COVID-19 at work and in the community. There are people we come in contact with, who have the disease but are asymptomatic. My biggest concern is that I will contract it and bring it home to my family. Like all hospitals, there are shortages on some supplies. Our facility does it’s best to keep us stocked with the supplies we need, but everything is signed for and limited.”

The COVID-19 continues to be problematic creating an avalanche of worldwide issues impacting every aspect of peoples’ daily lives. We hope that some of these issues, like hazard pay for those risking their lives daily, will soon be resolved.