BossFeed Briefing for November 16, 2020. Last Thursday was the 101st anniversary of the end of Seattle’s 5-week shutdown during the 1918 flu pandemic, a relaxing of restrictions that was followed by a rapid rise in cases over the holidays. Also last Thursday, the latest report from the state showed a 71% increase in new unemployment claims in Washington compared with the previous week. Today is National Fast Food Day, which is a great time to remind yourself that Washington’s minimum wage increases to $13.69/hr in 2021. On Wednesday, statewide COVID restrictions go into effect at restaurants and bars, banning indoor dining and limiting outdoor table services for a period of four weeks.
Three things to know this week:
The Trump administration has just announced a new rule that will freeze pay for some seasonal farmworkers. The federal government sets wages for seasonal migrant farmworkers under the H-2A visa program, and has previously set those wages to rise with inflation each year — but this new rule will freeze current rates and lower future increases, transferring an estimated $170 million in projected wages from workers to employers each year.
After healthcare, the four industries with the highest number of COVID outbreaks in Washington are: (1) food service, (2) agriculture, (3) construction, and (4) childcare. All four industries are frequently characterized by low wages and economic insecurity, and workers in these industries are more likely to be People of Color.
A Senate panel is proposing $696 billion in military spending for 2021. Since passing the CARES Act back in March, the Senate has approved $0 in additional support for unemployed workers or any other relief.
Two things to ask:
Is anyone having fun yet? The CEO of a toy company called 'Basic Fun' has decided the time is right to bring employees back to the office. Although many staff members were hesitant to return, the owner told the New York Times that “we have to get over our fears,” adding that he pays “a hell of a lot of rent to have an office.”
Shall we do the math? DoorDash last week bragged that from mid-March through September more than 1.9 million new drivers joined the app, collectively earning $3.5 billion during that period. That comes out to...about $1800/worker over the course of the pandemic — and that includes customer tips.
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
With COVID cases rising rapidly across the country, one of President-elect Biden’s newly-appointed coronavirus advisors is making the case for a 4-6 week nationwide lockdown to bring the virus under control and revive the economy. Under Dr. Michael Osterholm’s plan—developed in partnership with Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis—the federal government would guarantee economic security during the lockdown by paying workers for lost wages. Osterholm argues that pairing relief money with the shutdown is the only effective way to get the virus under control, prevent additional job loss, and mitigate the kind of economic pain caused by previous shutdowns. This is the way we need to think about the pandemic response: pairing economic security with public health.
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Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!