Despite recognizing our dependence on essential workers to get us out of this crisis, the Trump administration and Mitch McConnell’s Senate have failed to protect and adequately compensate essential workers, even while they approved $2 trillion to bail out cruise lines, airlines, and big business. Those same companies that were bailed out are now ending hazard pay for their workers despite the fact that the death toll continues to rise -- reaching over 133,000 nationwide. A toll that will continue rising well into next year!

That is why the Senate must pass the Essential Workers Bill of Rights as part of the next relief package in order to protect the health and well-being of essential workers and their families, and give them the compensation and job protections they deserve while they risk their lives to care and provide for all of us.

Talking Points

1. All of us are dependent on essential workers to protect our health, safety, and well-being during this pandemic and ensure our economic and national security in the future. The death toll in the nation has reached over 133,000 and will continue to rise into next year as we’ll see a spike in the fall. We need to provide essential workers with essential protections as they help us weather this crisis in the coming months.
   
   
2. Without essential workers, we will not have a path out of this pandemic. Essential workers enable us to shelter-in-place by putting food on shelves, transporting health workers, ensuring clean water, working across our healthcare system to protect our health and safety, and caring for the elderly and critically ill — all while putting their lives and their families’ lives at risk.
   
   
3. While Congress and the Trump administration have bailed out the cruise industry, the airline industry and propped up big businesses, it has failed to protect and compensate essential workers. Essential workers are working without appropriate equipment, safety standards or job guarantees, and they are getting sick and dying at a significantly higher rate than the rest of us.
   
   
4. We must do better. The country has a moral responsibility to protect the health and well-being of essential workers, ensure their rights, provide financial security for them and their loved ones, and support them as they risk their lives and families to protect all of us.
   
   
5. There is overwhelming, bipartisan support for an essential worker bill of rights: 75% support among all Americans and 73% support among Republicans.
   
   
6. While essential workers care for us, we must care for them. As part of the next relief package Congress must protect the health and well-being of essential workers and their families and give them the compensation and job protections they deserve while we ask them to risk their lives to care for all of us.
   
   
7. While we’ve been collectively fighting to combat anti-Black racism, the virus has continued to take more and more Black and brown lives. Our Black community members are four times more likely to die from coronavirus. Part of our critical work of anti-racist action is to ensure economic justice for all, especially Black families. The Senate MUST pass the Essential Workers Bill of Rights and help protect Black and brown families who are most impacted by the virus.
   
   
8. It is inexcusable that an American citizen -- Jeff Bezos -- is on the verge of becoming a trillionaire while the average working American on the frontlines are having their hazard pay cancelled, including Jeff Bezos’ employees. Too long have we degraded working Americans. It’s time we give them the dignity they deserve. 

Writing Tips

• Share personal stories or experiences. Share how COVID-19 affects you, your family, your loved ones, or your community. Share how passing the Essential Workers Bill of Rights will help you, your loved ones, or your community. 
• Be polite. Even if you're angry, please address your representatives respectfully. It will make them more inclined to listen to what you have to say. Avoid profanity, crude language, and insults.
• Use your own words. Please feel welcome to use the talking points we've provided, but if you can, please try to put them in your own words. You can also use your own reasons for supporting the Essential Workers Bill of Rights.
• Keep it simple. You do not need to include all the talking points when asking for the support of the Essential Workers Bill of Rights in your letter. Use the ones that resonate most with your values or personal experiences.
  
  

NOTE: Although you may be disappointed with your representative, please be respectful. Use this opportunity to offer constructive feedback. Please abstain from negative, disparaging language, including, but not limited to: expletives, comments about race, gender, sexual identity, or religion, and anything specific to appearance.