Online access is likely going to be a struggle for many students.
I teach undergrads, and universities are going just online. My students and I would appreciate free municipal internet in the whole region so they can do their part online effectively (or at least not on their data plans). Online access is likely going to be a struggle for many students.
- Bara, college instructor
My friend got forcibly laid off for three weeks because they had no hours for her after classes shut down.
My friend who works at Seattle U for Chartwells got forcibly laid off for three weeks because they had no hours for her after classes shut down. She has to collect unemployment.
- SABINA
They haven’t decided yet what they’ll do about pay if they have to shut down entirely.
I usually work at my lunch catering service twice a week (10-12 hours) while I’m in school. My hours have been cut down to zero. We have an inclement weather policy where if you’re scheduled to work and we get snowed out, we get paid for two hours each day we would have worked, but they’re refusing to apply that policy in this case. They haven’t decided yet what they’ll do about pay if they have to shut down entirely. It’s my only source of income. I’m lucky enough to have a bit of a financial safety net, but the net isn’t that big, so if my hours are down to zero next week, and the next, and the next, I don’t know what I’ll do.
- Johanna, host/server
They are sending teachers home and saying we have to use vacation time if we want the rest of the hours for the day.
I work for an early education center in Bellevue and a lot of the kids are leaving or staying home to be safe from the virus, so the need for teachers is low. They are sending teachers home and saying we have to use vacation time if we want the rest of the hours for the day. Because of a company policy, we can’t use sick time — only vacation time. That’s fine for some people, but I’m new to the center and have no vacation time, so I could be sent home because of lack of attendance, and not get paid for the rest of the day. I recently moved to Seattle, so income is very crucial for me.
- Ryan, teacher
I haven’t been able to go to work since the Friday before last and I won’t again until this Thursday at the earliest.
My job is located at a pool inside of a public school, so when the school is closed, I don’t work. I haven’t been able to go to work since the Friday before last and I won’t again until this Thursday at the earliest. It’s my only job and it’s not salaried. I’ve been going to interviews this past week because I need a second job anyway, but everyone’s pushing start dates until near the end of the month. I’m not sure how I’m going to pay my bills.
- Andrew, swim teacher
My hours are so low as it is that losing just a couple students is a significant chunk of my income.
I’m a tutor so my job is entirely dependent on students being able to come in / having anything to work on — I don’t have fixed hours even in normal times. I’m able to shift to online sessions but have no idea how many will want to, and public school closures look likely. My hours are so low as it is that losing just a couple students is a significant chunk of my income, and if it weren’t for an unexpected boon last month I’d be pretty nervous about making rent right now.
- Mercury, tutor
I am on immune-suppressant drugs, so now I’m having to weigh taking sick time up to six days before I’d be going unpaid, or risking infection and putting my entire household at risk of losing income.
I work with a Montessori school in SLU that serves a ton of Amazon families who are now working from home. The company put in place a temporary measure where we can take sick hours up to -24 before they’ll stop paying us, but most people I know either don’t have enough sick time saved up for that to matter much or haven’t been working there long enough to accrue sick time. They are also using this measure to allow anyone who is immuno-compromised or elderly to take leaves of absence to isolate themselves from harm — but again, not everyone can do that.
The other measure they’ve taken is in the event that they end up closing the school for quarantine, they’ll pay us for up to three weeks. But that’s only if they close the school, which will only happen if we end up having someone in the building directly exposed or SPS closes. I ended up in urgent care earlier because of asthma complications and am now on immune-suppressant drugs to help treat it, so now I’m having to weigh taking sick time up to -24 hours (which would be six days for me before I’d be going unpaid) or risking infection and putting my entire household at risk of losing income. If I’m exposed to COVID-19, both my roommates end up in quarantine with me for two weeks minimum, and guess what? There goes our rent.
- Emily, teacher
I am going to struggle financially from the loss of work and having run out of PTO.
I am a low-wage worker on my 7th day off of work because I have had a cough, running nose, and sore throat for ten days. I am going to struggle financially from the loss of work and having run out of PTO.
- Casey, school groundskeeper
I get zero hours this week and probably next week.
I have two jobs — I work as a lab tech at Seattle Central College, and as an art teacher in after-school programs for children. That job is linked to elementary schools — if the public schools cancel after-school programs (and some have), then people like me lose work. My boss is scrambling to keep us employed by giving us behind-the-scenes work, but there are only so many of those she can give out before the company is losing money.
My lab tech job has suspended all hours because Seattle Colleges moved all courses to distance learning format — I get zero hours this week and probably next week. If next quarter is also all digital from the beginning, I’ll likely be SOL for that job, and it accounts for a third of my income. I don’t know if I qualify for unemployment under these circumstances. My other job is linked to elementary schools.
- Dendron, art teacher/lab tech
My boss has repeatedly thanked me for my flexibility, but I am not sure how she expects me to pay my rent and bills without all of this work.
Like many, all of my hours for the rest of this month have been cut for my part-time job due to COVID-19. I work part-time for a small nonprofit arts organization in downtown Seattle that runs kids’ workshops. Within the last two weeks, all schools have canceled our workshops this month and my boss canceled all our in-office workshops. I am currently their only part-time employee — all three other full-time employees are still working full days from home. Unlike them, I have been left with all my workshops this month canceled (at least 50 hours of work lost till the end of March, and if this continues it will be more!). They are not paying me for any of the time that I was scheduled to work, it is beyond frustrating. As a part-time employee, I am not sure what my rights are to be paid for scheduled work. My boss has repeatedly thanked me for my flexibility, but I am not sure how she expects me to pay my rent and bills without all of this work.
- MARINA, NONPROFIT WORKER
Each day brings the potential for more impact as school districts, symphonic organizations, and others make decisions.
I’m a freelance pianist who works with many organizations in the South Sound. Due to the coronavirus precautions and mandates, every day brings new cancellations and loss. All my ensemble rehearsals and courses are cancelled at PLU, where I work as an hourly employee. My Symphony Tacoma rehearsals and concert have been cancelled. Puyallup High School has cancelled rehearsals and a concert, for which I am a pianist.
All together, these add up to over $1,100 of lost wages. Each day brings the potential for more impact as school districts, symphonic organizations, and others make decisions. I am married, and my husband is a musician as well — he has also been impacted, with three choral festivals cancelled in the past days. The financial impact for me is significant, but not yet disastrous. If it were to continue for more than two months, it would be essential that I find a different career. That WOULD be disastrous.
- Amy, pianist
I’m concerned for the hourly employees who provide vital services to our students after school, before school, and at lunch.
Teaching staff will be getting paid for the next two weeks while school is closed — but some of our hourly staff members won’t, like our lunchtime supervisors and after-school program workers. They have no representation, and they’re just not getting paid right now.
The big concern is, if in two weeks we’re still out, we don’t really know what will happen — obviously the district won’t want to pay us for not working. I’m not sure why we can’t make sure people get everyone gets paid for all this time, even if we need to stay closed beyond two weeks. While I’m sure we will come to some kind of agreement for union staff at schools, I’m concerned for the hourly employees who provide vital services to our students after school, before school, and at lunch — and this money is already budgeted out, so why is the district trying to save money instead of using it to pay staff? These people also have bills to pay.