Texas Legislature must take these steps to protect workers amid coronavirus reopening
It’s springtime in Texas, and that means storms.
Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a phased “opening” of the Texas economy, in direct contradiction with the gatekeeping criteria and scientific evidence he promised to follow. This move flies in the face of the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control, and many Texans are left with the unsettling conclusion that Abbott cares more about hot takes from talking heads than taking care of our citizens.
The price of this decision will be steep, as we are set to open movie theaters and restaurants without widespread access to basic personal protective equipment. In my hometown of North Richland Hills, masks and hand sanitizer are still absent from the shelves, and my fellow Texans rank second-to-last in testing per capita, dead last in the region.
We find ourselves in the path of an EF5 showdown between the health and economic well-being of the people of Texas and big money interests. Due to poor planning and execution at the state level, many of our neighbors and friends have been unable to register for unemployment benefits.
The Texas Workforce Commission is overloaded, undermanned and unprepared. Those who can register wait weeks for assistance, which hits hourly and gig workers particularly hard.
As of Friday, many of these same workers will be forced back into the workplace with little protection from a virus that has claimed 60,000 American lives. Employers are told by Abbott’s “Reopen Texas” handbook to “send home” any employee who appears sick or has a temperature, but not necessarily to pay the employee for the weeks they will spend in quarantine as a result.
It appears employees of these newly reopened businesses — many of whom will lose their right to unemployment in Texas — were not even an afterthought in the governor’s plan. Any employee with a close contact who has COVID-19 must stay home from work for 14 days, a policy that could result in two months of unpaid leave in a family of four.
Frankly, Governor, Texas is better than this.
In this trying time, Texans need the thoughtful leadership of our legislators in an honest, non-partisan debate during a special session of the Legislature. It could tackle reforms that would provide immediate relief to workers, not just businesses.
Our leaders should be problem-solvers who are willing to work together to craft innovative solutions, such as:
Guaranteed paid time off for working Texans, including those working “gig economy” jobs
Increased health care coverage
Hazard pay for medical workers and those working at businesses deemed “essential”
Free temporary housing for healthcare workers in COVID-19 units during the pandemic
Follow-up care and support for healthcare workers who suffer losses
Expanding the capacity and effectiveness of the Texas Workforce Commission
Incentivizing small and medium sized businesses who want to manufacture critical items in Texas (such as protective equipment and medications.
Let’s take on this pandemic before we risk incurring an immense, tangible, human cost. Employees and their families are the bedrock upon which this great state has built the 10-th largest economy in the world. In return, the health and well being of all Texans must become the foundational concern of our elected officials, now.
While the winds of change have not yet reached Austin, they are swirling here in North Texas. Inadequate leadership that fails to protect Texans in deference to partisan profiteering is an unforgivable sin in governing, and we won’t forget in November.
The time has come for action, and a united front is the only path forward.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 9:03 AM.