{"id":2433,"date":"2021-11-03T13:29:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T18:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/?p=2433"},"modified":"2021-11-03T13:33:59","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T18:33:59","slug":"republican-members-of-frontline-worker-pay-working-group-say-grocery-meatpacking-and-other-essential-workers-not-worthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/11\/03\/republican-members-of-frontline-worker-pay-working-group-say-grocery-meatpacking-and-other-essential-workers-not-worthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican members of Frontline Worker Pay Working Group say grocery, meatpacking, and other essential workers not \u201cworthy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Rena Wong, Director of Organizing <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espa\u00f1ol abajo<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday, Oct 27, was the last of 13 meetings of the Frontline Worker Pay Working Group. Many UFCW Local 663 members from grocery, meatpacking, and healthcare testified throughout the summer to urge the working group to include all essential workers. However, a compromise was not reached and the distribution of the $250 million that was set aside for Minnesota\u2019s frontline workers is unlikely to be resolved this year. The issue will be taken up again in the next legislative session in Jan 2022. Our Union will continue to advocate for the inclusion of our members and all frontline workers who could not work from home and to increase the size of the pot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UFCW Local 663 member<\/strong> Dwight Gaddis<\/strong> told members of the media at a press conference following the last Frontline Worker Pay Working Group:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a retail grocery worker who has continued working through the pandemic, it is very frustrating that the Republicans on the Frontline Workers Pay Working Group continue to move forward proposals that tell me<\/strong> retail grocery workers are not worthy of any of the $250 million hero pay. It is now clear to me that they never had any intentions of including all frontline essential workers. Instead, they wasted our time, choosing to play politics instead of taking care of us, the workers, who continue to put our lives on the line on a daily basis.\u00a0The right thing to do is to honor all essential frontline workers by passing legislation that disburses the $250 million in a swift manner into the hands that need it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The 3 Democrats and the 3 agency commissioners provided a proposal that would include all frontline essential workers who could not work from home. The Republican proposal would include only healthcare and first responders (such as police, firefighters, and corrections). In a press conference on September 30, Republican Senator Karin Housley (District 39) said, \u201cThis is who we think was worthy.\u201d The 3 Republican members also voted down a compromise proposal the Democrats and agency commissioners provided on Oct. 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the legislative session this year in Minnesota, $250 million dollars was set aside to be distributed to frontline workers and a nine member Frontline Worker Pay Working Group was established to determine how to distribute the money. This $250 million is part of the American Rescue Plan money allocated to states from the federal government and one of the four allowed uses is to provide bonus checks to workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The members of the group included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Members<\/p>\n\n\n\n