Workers Laid Off Over Coronavirus Look For A Lifeline "It just keeps getting worse," one worker said

[Demovictory9]

Workers Laid Off Over Coronavirus Look For A Lifeline
The newly jobless are applying for unemployment benefits and wondering about their health care. “It just keeps getting worse,” one worker said.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/workers-laid-off-over-coronavirus-unemployment_n_5e6d10b1c5b6747ef11e1048

On Friday afternoon, about a dozen cafeteria workers at the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, learned they would be laid off because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

With Knights of Columbus employees working remotely and no longer dining in the cafeteria, there would be no need for the hourly workers to be serving hot meals. The same thing is happening at other corporate campuses around the country as more employees work remotely to curb the pandemic, putting service workers’ paychecks in jeopardy.

“I think this is a very troubling sign of what’s going to happen to low-wage workers. People in the service industry are going to get slammed,” said Seth Goldstein, a business representative for the Office of Professional Employees International Union Local 153, which represents the cafeteria workers.

--------------

Some workers have already been shocked by how quickly their jobs vanished.

Renee Munholand works as a rigger, hanging sound equipment, lighting and props for concerts and corporate events. Her home state of Washington has been an epicenter of the outbreak, and Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has banned public gatherings over 250 people in three counties where the virus is prevalent. Munholand, 44, immediately lost all her bookings in the coming weeks.

“It’s just all cancellations ― my calendar is wide open,” she said.

She applied for unemployment through the state and said she has already been approved, though she will have to wait for her first check. A greater concern is her health insurance. Her stagehand union provides a health plan but she must work a certain number of hours each month to qualify.


All told, Munholand has lost around six events, including one put on by Microsoft, and Seattle’s annual comic book convention. She thought she still had a gig lined up for Sunday but it got canceled on Thursday.

“It just keeps getting worse,” she said. “I have a little bit of money saved, which is going quickly right now. ... I have medical bills. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

[stopbush]

1. Unemployment benefits vary from state to state.

Typically, you get 50% of your gross weekly pay. Here in CA the top weekly benefit is $450, whether you make $900 a week or $5000 a week. That’s $1800 a month - not much money when a one-bdrm apt in much of the state goes for over $1500. If you have a decent salary the low weekly benefit amount is felt even more.

Oh, and yes: unemployment benefits are taxable.