Call Senators: Pass the Heroes Act to protect essential workers

Essential workers are on the front lines of this pandemic, and many are working in high-risk conditions without appropriate equipment, safety standards, compensation, or job protections. Democrats in the House have passed the HEROES Act, which includes an Essential Workers Bill of Rights and direct relief for millions suffering during this crisis, as well as support for state and city governments, the Postal Service, and expanded access to voting.

But now it's up to the Republican-controlled Senate—and all senators need to hear from constituents today so that all Democrats fight for this historic relief package and Republicans feel pressure to act!

Call your senators, Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally, now at 855-912-2982 and ask them to pass the HEROES Act to protect essential workers and provide essential relief to the people who need it most.

You could say this:

 Hi! My name is ____. I'm a constituent in Arizona, and I'm calling to urge you to pass the HEROES Act and include the full Essential Workers Bill of Rights to provide more relief to working people and families, not wealthy CEOs and shareholders. You have a responsibility to ensure ALL essential workers have the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to, and the compensation they deserve.

Today, in Washington, D.C., we're delivering your petition signature with over a million other MoveOn members' signatures to support essential workers. Partnering with Greenpeace, Daily Kos, and Courage Campaign, we've got over 2 million signatures demanding action from senators. We know the House heard us, as they included many of our demands for an Essential Workers Bill of Rights in the HEROES Act. Now we need to keep the pressure up to make sure the Senate follows suit.

Let's flood their inboxes and voicemails so all senators hear it loud and clear: Pass the HEROES Act to get essential workers the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to, and the compensation they deserve.

Call your senators today at 855-912-2982, because essential workers can't wait.

- MoveOn

Tell Congress: Essential workers deserve essential protections

Millions of essential workers across the country are rising to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic and, unfortunately, are having to put their lives at risk to care for our communities. Essential workers from health care professionals to farm workers and grocery workers to bus drivers deserve support on the same scale they are providing to all of us. Pass an Essential Workers Bill of Rights in the next federal relief package to provide needed protections, compensation, and safety nets to all essential workers.
Why is this important?

Essential workers are on the frontlines of this pandemic, and many are working in high-risk conditions without appropriate equipment, safety standards, or job protections. Workers who remain on the job without the ability to telework during this emergency include doctors, nurses, home care workers and other healthcare workers, grocery store and drug store employees, domestic workers, food service workers, federal, state, and municipal employees, janitorial staff, farm workers, delivery drivers, warehouse workers, transportation workers, and child care workers. These workers put their health on the line when they go to work every day.

In New York City, 41 transit workers have died as of April 8, and reports of essential worker deaths are on the rise. There are grocery workers who are denied sick leave and whose companies won’t provide masks or allow masks to be worn in stores. And health care workers including medical technicians, orderlies, EMTs, nurses, doctors, hospital employees are working long hours to save lives while their own families are on the edge of health and financial disaster.

The country has a moral responsibility to protect essential worker’s health, to create financial security for their loved ones, and to offer peace of mind during a time of heightened mortal and emotional stress.

This includes policies like healthcare, paid sick leave, and workplace health standards to protect against more workers getting sick. We need hazard pay and childcare to properly compensate the risk workers are taking to benefit us, and enable them to keep coming to work. And we need to hold corporations who don’t follow these guidelines accountable because lives are on the line.

Congress continues to debate more relief efforts as the coronavirus pandemic deepens the health and economic crisis hitting our nation. The next bill must meet the needs of people and our communities, with an essential worker bill of rights, and not provide more corporate bailout funds. Congress should ensure that any taxpayer dollars handed to corporations go to help workers, not wealthy CEOs, rich shareholders, or the President’s cronies.

Congress should pass an Essential Workers Bill of Rights, including:
1. Health and safety protections
2. Robust premium compensation
3. Protections for collective bargaining agreements
4. Truly universal paid sick leave and family and medical leave
5. Protections for whistleblowers
6. An end to worker misclassification
7. Health care security
8. Support for child care
9. Treat workers as experts
10. Hold corporations accountable for meeting their responsibilities

Look up your Members of Congress here:

https://contactingcongress.org/

Find out who your Representative is:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative