Meeting the basic needs of unemployed workers throughout this economic downturn is essential for preserving our social fabric and civic institutions. California needs to take direct action to address the economic emergency caused by COVID-19 that is causing widespread business closures and extremely high unemployment. Forty-three percent of California workers have a high risk of unemployment.
Proposed Healthy Terminals Acts in New Jersey and New York would add a healthcare benefits supplement of $4.54 per hour, on top of the current PANYNJ minimum wage, for covered airport workers to use in purchasing quality healthcare. We estimate the legislation would affect 34,533 airport workers at Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and JFK Airports, helping many end dependence upon Medicaid.
Households in the Los Angeles metro region paid $7.2 billion for packages from Amazon in 2018. Less publicly visible was more than $790 million paid out in public subsidies and uncompensated public costs that supported Amazon’s profitability. It is time for Amazon to come of age and pay its own way. This means paying its full costs to the communities that host it and the workers who create its profits.
George Floyd’s asphyxiation by a police officer shines a light on racial injustice.
Predictive tools can reveal the humanity of people living in shelters and on sidewalks, showing the risks they face so that we can intervene early to help those who are likely to stay homeless.