CARES Act Passage a First Step, More Work to Be Done, Says Pennsylvania AFL-CIO

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The CARES Act, which passed today by a voice vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by the President, is a first step toward protecting workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis; it cannot be the last. The federal legislation is an emergency response to the public health and economic crisis posed by COVID-19. There is much more work to be done to curb the pandemic and place workers first.

This week, Governor Tom Wolf called Pennsylvania the epicenter of unemployment compensation claims. At the height of the great recession Pennsylvania's record had approximately 80,000 claims filed in one week; this month our record was 378,000+ claims filed in week, and more than 697,000 in the last two weeks.

"The CARES Act places more responsibility onto the states and local governments, and we know our Commonwealth can rise to this challenge and do more. All Pennsylvania workers deserve full wage replacement and unemployment compensation claims should be retroactive to the beginning of the crisis. While the CARES Act provides 150 billion dollars in funding for states to acquire medical and personal protective equipment and build the necessary healthcare infrastructure, this is nowhere near enough," stated President Rick Bloomingdale.    

"Unions have been standing up for all working people throughout this crisis. Union members have been taking the lead in communities across the Commonwealth. We deserve leadership that takes action rather than react as this crisis continues. We need to expand family and medical leave qualifications, and stronger OSHA protections for workers. Phase 3 must be followed by phase 4," remarked Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder.

SOURCE Pennsylvania AFL-CIO