The governor of West Virginia has released his “Comeback” plan for the state, naming a handful of industries that are allowed to slowly re-open during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Included in this list are restaurants, childcare centers, and hair and nail salons. I’ve read tons of comments in support of and in opposition to re-opening the state of West Virginia at this time. It seems as if the supporters of the move feel that our economy needs to be given a chance to right itself while the opposers feel it’s too early for us to break the stay at home orders.
Admittedly, I am riding the fence because I understand both sides. But, I’m a woman.
Why is my gender important? Well, most of these industries predominantly employ women. In fact, women and people of color are disproportionately the ones working at these businesses. Wait staff are mostly women. Hair and nail professionals are mostly women, and childcare workers? Do I even need to point out that most of them are women, as well? The businesses that are going back to work are dominated by women. And here’s one better: most of these jobs are low-wage earning and don’t come with benefits such as health insurance and/or paid time off. When it comes to low wage/low benefit jobs, women and people of color usually are the ones who are doing the work and still living in poverty.
In The Spotlight?
Working in low-wage jobs always has its challenges when it comes to pay and benefits, but this pandemic has highlighted them. And now we’re forcing people to return to work and adding extra pressures, like not making the employer supply the protective gear, such as masks, for this to be a possibility. So, we’ve laid off people for what? Seven weeks now? And expect them to not only return to work but to be financially responsible for the extra costs to return to work. And I get it, I do! We need to provide childcare for those workers, but, yet, it’s too unsafe for public school-aged children to return to their school buildings so why are we expecting infants and toddlers to do it?
Not only are they being placed outside of their homes, but their parents are the ones out there on the frontlines being exposed to the danger of this virus every day. And the childcare workers across the state are more than likely making barely above minimum wage! Low wage workers don’t get a say because this pandemic has put us between a rock and a hard place. Businesses need to open, but what risks are we forcing everyone involved to take?
And now that the state has said that people choosing not to return to work will lose their unemployment benefits – low-wage workers, again – who are predominantly women and people of color, will have to choose between going to work or putting themselves and their families’ health at risk. Ultimately, it’s up to the business owner whether they open or remain closed, and I hope they take a long look at what going back to work will mean for their employees.
Here locally, I’m seeing a lot of small business owners assuring the community that they will not open until they feel it is safe to do so for not only customers but staff as well, and that fills me with a sense of calm and reassurance that small private business owners know what it means to take care of their people.
Check Ourselves
Our state has suffered from a lack of testing since the beginning of this pandemic. It’s still much easier for people to get tested in some areas than others. The governor is requiring all childcare workers to be tested before they return to work, but one woman told me that she can’t be tested in her county unless she’s showing symptoms so she has to find a way to get to a neighboring county. We, as a state, continue to prove that we were sorely prepared for a moment such as this one. We must speak up to ask the state to put protections in place for these workers who have poor or compromised health or who care for a loved one who does. We have to really check ourselves and ask if our hair and nails are so important that our favorite stylist who cares for a loved one battling cancer needs to take the risk of returning to work right now.
It’s those of us with the privilege to stay home who need to support and help to protect those of us who can’t.
Call the governor. Email the governor. Tell him that people who are already working and living in poverty have to be given protections as his great comeback moves forward. We have to protect each other, and hopefully COVID-19 has reminded us that there are plenty of ways for privilege to be used as a superpower for good. It’s not always chivalrous for women and children to go first.
Stay home. Call the governor. Use your voice for those who can’t. Be well.
Onward,
Amy Jo
