Items

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  2021-04-14

  California teachers are getting one-time stipends as incentives and hazard pay

  As much as there are "reopening schools" supporters, there are about as much hesitant to do so. You might hear the hesitations from concerned parents and children, but school employees experience it as well. Schools are typically crowded and people are in close quarters at almost all times of the day. Although California regulations are to remain 3-6 feet apart in and out of classrooms, it continues to be a difficult challenge. Moreover, such precautions might lessen the spread but they're not guaranteed. This is where aid funds in the form of stipends come in. These stipends are displays of gratitude, used as an incentive and, unfortunately, hazard pay. More than $2 billion will be distributed across 42 K-12 school districts in the San Diego region. Stipends vary, however. There are one-time stipends for Lakeside school district teachers who have taught since October 1, 2020 of $450 to $900. Special education teachers in the same district will receive more, about $500 to $1000. Despite the incentives, there is an ongoing conflict over who is eligible for the stipend (to my personal surprise). One argued that only employees returning to campus are eligible, while there was a debate over whether those teaching since Fall 2020 should even be compensated for. If this were the criteria, it should simply be an incentive to return as the act of “being appreciative” would not exclude any teachers who have and will continue to work during the pandemic.
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  2020-12-05

  Why Sobeys is saying yes to ‘hero pay’ and no to gouging suppliers: meet the man who’s putting values first in a time of crisis

  Sobey's agreeing to pay hero pay
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  2020-06-24

  Restore Pandemic Pay // Make it Permanant Poster

  A poster shared on social media in support of advocacy work being done by a friend of the artist. At the beginning of the pandemic, workers in Canada's major grocery stores were given pay increases across the board by their individual employers, as compensation for the additional work and precautions they had to undertake and the hazards they would face having to interact with many different people during the near complete shut down. As time has gone on and other business sectors have begun to open up, the grocery chains have repealed this pay increase, a move which many workers and supporters consider unfair given they are still facing the same risks they have been since the beginning of the pandemic in Canada.
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  2020-04-07

  Treatment of Essential Workers: “Insulting Rewards”

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This image captures the headline of an article describing workers outrage at the “rewards” they are being given, such as free lunches. My friend works at a grocery store and has experienced this firsthand. No promise of bonuses, or sick leave, or extra protections for working during a pandemic, many are insulted that companies believe a free lunch may make up for the health risks these workers take everyday.
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  2020-05-01

  Protestors in Cars at Socially Distanced May Day Protest, New Orleans, LA

  Cars and bikes line up in a parking lot for a protest organized by the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance. In observance of May Day, the international workers' rights holiday, New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance organized a socially-distanced protest that included bikes and cars. The protestors' demands included free healthcare and testing for hospitality workers, hazard pay and access to protective gear, housing as a human right, freeing incarcerated people, and unemployment assistance through the end of 2020.
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  2020-05-01

  View of Orleans Parish Prison During May Day Protest, New Orleans, LA

  A view of Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) from the May Day Protest. People inside of the prison waved to the procession as they honked their horns. One of the demands of the protest was to evacuate prisoners from OPP during COVID-19 to prevent them from being exposed to the virus. In observance of May Day, the international workers' rights holiday, New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance organized a socially-distanced protest that included bikes and cars. The protestors' demands included free healthcare and testing for hospitality workers, hazard pay and access to protective gear, housing as a human right, freeing incarcerated people, and unemployment assistance through the end of 2020.