Find resources and guidance from leading experts, government agencies and America’s unions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, with recommendations to limit its impact on working families.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Hicks, from Lexington, is the Democratic nominee for the Sixth Congressional District. He is an attorney, former police officer and Marine veteran.
“For all workers, the toll of COVID-19 infections and deaths is mounting and will increase even more rapidly as workers return to work without necessary safety and health protections,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wrote in the letter, which listed dozens of members who have died from the virus. He faulted the agency for not doing more inspections, not issuing citations and releasing only voluntary coronavirus safety guidelines. “Without government oversight and enforcement, too many employers are disregarding safety and health standards,” he wrote.
The national union that represents workers in meatpacking and food processing jobs, the United Food and Commercial Workers, says the administration should enact enforceable standards instead of guidance that requires protections like protective equipment, physical distancing, daily testing for workers and paid sick leave so workers can stop the spread of illness. And Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, echoed their concerns tweeting, "Using executive power to force people back on the job without proper protections is wrong and dangerous."
Frankfort, Ky. (April 24, 2020) – Today, Governor Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams said they have reached an agreement on how the state’s primary elections, special elections and local option elections scheduled for June 23, 2020, will be conducted given the global health pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The AFL-CIO warned Tuesday that workplaces were still far too dangerous to consider reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, even as some governors are starting to lift restrictions in order to get businesses up and running again. Richard Trumka, the federation’s president, said there was still insufficient personal protective equipment and not enough testing to make worksites safe yet. He called for stronger legal protections for those who will have to refuse dangerous work as their employers begin to call them back.
Randi Weingarten, AFT president
on Monday, April 20 - 10:06am
This has been a month like no other in modern American history. We are in a war against an invisible virus that has required most people to stay home to fight it. With each day of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans have grown increasingly grateful for things we used to take for granted, like grocery workers, without whom we could not meet our most basic needs. Parents have a new appreciation for how complex and demanding teaching is, and for how teachers are helping their children continue learning, stay engaged and stay safe inside during this uneasy time.
No matter how Kentucky votes on Nov. 3, the returns won't be written in the stars.
The results were the last time Kentuckians braved a deadly pandemic to cast ballots. The Spanish flu was raging on Nov. 3, 1918, when a Louisville Courier-Journal headline announced that the paper would report the Nov. 5 election results via a "5,000 Candle-Power Searchlight.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: Overwhelmed by the flood of news stories and commentary about the coronavirus pandemic? Who isn't? For the duration of the crisis, we're going to add two features to the website, "COVID-19 News" and a regular roundup of breaking news stories. Most of our coverage will focus on how the pandemic is affecting Kentuckians, especially union members and their families. We will regularly update "COVID 19 News" at the top of the page.
When a county official wanted a Confederate flag raised over the courthouse in Benton, Ky., he opted for the "Stars and Bars" to sidestep "the negativity associated with the 'Battle Flag' and its common 'Southern Cross" design.'"
