Essential Workers Deserve Hazard Pay – And NJ Has The Cash, Advocates Say

NEW JERSEY — It is nice when someone calls you a “hero.” But that does not put food on the table for your family, these New Jersey advocates say.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, elected officials and workplaces in the Garden State held parade after parade for front-line and other essential workers, often centering their campaigns on a single word: “hero.”

But now it is time for them to put their money where their mouths are, according to a coalition of social justice and labor advocates.

Earlier this week, dozens of New Jersey essential workers and representatives from several unions and pro-worker organizations paid a visit to Trenton to deliver a letter to state legislators, demanding “hazard pay” for essential employees across the state. Read their full statement here.

Advocates are asking for a $1,000 payout to eligible full-time workers and $500 for part-time workers who punched a clock during the pandemic. They are calling for state legislators to carve out a total allotment of $100 million, which would be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We have all seen the billboards and thank-yous from corporations to their essential employees,” said Nicole Rodriguez, president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, one of the groups that signed on to this week’s letter.

“We have all heard the accolades describing essential workers as ‘heroes,’” Rodriguez continued. “Yes, this is nice and true, but these kind words do not pay the bills or reduce the risks.”

“Essential workers risked their lives so the rest of us could social distance and stay safe at home,” Rodriguez said. “Hazard pay for essential workers is the least we can do.”

Who should qualify? According to advocates:

• Workers who qualified for Phase 1a or 1b eligibility under the CDC’s vaccine prioritization and workers not restricted or discouraged from working in-person under Governor Murphy’s EO 107 who would not otherwise qualify under Phase 1a or 1b.
• Workers who performed at least 500 hours of in-person covered work from March 16, 2020, to May 7, 2021, when vaccines became widely available.
• Workers whose incomes are below 100% of the state’s average annual wage for all occupations which is $67,120.

Advocates said that the money should come from New Jersey’s remaining $3 billion in federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan Act, and a “record-breaking” $10.7 billion surplus in the FY 2022 state budget.

Gov. Phil Murphy proposed using a portion of the budget surplus to expand property tax relief to an estimated 5.5 million New Jersey residents, although Republican lawmakers have their own ideas about how the money should be spent. Read More: $2B In Proposed NJ Tax Relief Would Help 5.5M People, Gov. Murphy Says

New Jersey would not be alone if it chooses to give “hazard pay” to its essential workers, advocates say: Minnesota has allocated an estimated $500 million, Connecticut has approved $65 million and Puerto Rico has allocated $200 million.

“Our nurses and health care workers risked their lives every day facing tremendous odds, in unsafe conditions that caused exposure and illness – and some even died,” said Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), one of the state’s largest nursing unions.

“Two years later, the immense strain has caused our workforce to be exhausted and discouraged,” White said. “Many have even left the profession altogether. They’re taking on extra shifts and caring for more patients than they can handle, and they deserve the support and recognition.”

• See related article: NJ Nurses Push For Hazard Pay, 'Safe Staffing' Amid Pandemic
• See related article: Hundreds Of Nurses, Techs At North Jersey Hospital Go On Strike

“We have a debt of gratitude for all essential workers in New Jersey … they kept us safe and they kept us moving forward,” agreed Kevin Brown, state director of SEIU 32BJ, one of the largest service worker unions on the East Coast.

“We have recognized their sacrifice and effort with words, and now it is time to recognize them with actions,” Brown urged.

• See related article: 2,500 NJ Security Guards Fight For Pandemic Raises – And Get Them

Signers to the letter included NJ State AFL-CIO, RWDSU Local 108, UFCW Local 360, UFCW Local 1262, UFCW Local 464A, ATU, JNESO, SEIU 32BJ, NJ State Council, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ), New Jersey Working Families Party and NJ Work Environment Council.

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.