Warren and Khanna Introduce Essential Workers Bill of Rights to Protect and Compensate Frontline Workers

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) unveiled a proposal this week for an Essential Workers Bill of Rights to protect and compensate frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic and called for the next coronavirus relief package to include these policies. The Bill of Rights includes many of the policies that CWA has identified as critical for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Essential workers are the backbone of our nation's response to coronavirus," said Senator Warren. "We have a responsibility to make sure essential workers have the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to, and the compensation they deserve. The next relief package must put all workers front and center – but it must also specifically include the policies in our Essential Workers Bill of Rights."

"Nearly 60 million Americans are still working to keep our internet running, to deliver our groceries, to make sure we have electricity, and to care for the sick. In an age of automation, we are reminded of the dignity and importance of work that is not remote," said Representative Khanna. "This crisis needs to open our eyes to the value of workers who are often invisible, and we need to give them the pay and benefits they deserve."

The Essential Workers Bill of Rights calls for health and safety protections, robust premium pay for essential workers, protections for collective bargaining agreements, truly universal paid sick leave and family and medical leave, and more. Read the full Bill of Rights here: https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/elizabeth-warren-and-ro-khanna-unveil-essential-workers-bill-of-rights.

Review CWA's "Putting Workers First: Policies to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic" at https://cwa-union.org/covid19policies.