Lessons From the Pandemic on How to Protect and Support Essential Workers

Low-wage frontline workers have kept Californians fed and vulnerable populations cared for since the start of the pandemic.  And they’ve borne a high cost for their work.  A recent study out of UC Merced finds a 30% increase in deaths for essential workers in 2020.  We’ll hear about people working in restaurants, grocery stores, home care and other industries who feared losing income — or their jobs –if they took time off to recover from COVID-19. And as the state moves toward a full reopening next month, we’ll look at lessons learned during the pandemic  on how we can  better  protect and support low-wage frontline workers.