Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union, champions the rights of essential workers, shedding light on their undervalued contributions during crises. She discusses the systemic neglect of grocery clerks, bus drivers, and healthcare workers, advocating for fair wages and working conditions. Henry challenges traditional economic views, emphasizing the need for power dynamics to change. The conversation also explores the urgent need for labor law reform and a reevaluation of societal values towards marginalized essential workers.
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Grief and Fury for Essential Workers
Mary Kay Henry expresses grief over the loss of essential workers, including a nursing home worker she knew personally.
She feels fury over the lack of protection and support for essential workers during the pandemic.
insights INSIGHT
Essential but Undervalued
Essential workers are finally being recognized for their crucial role, yet their work remains undervalued.
The label "essential" may be used to avoid providing adequate compensation and protection.
insights INSIGHT
How the Economy Values Jobs
The economy's valuation of jobs is determined by the interplay of corporate power and government influence.
Other countries prioritize worker protections and provide better support during crises.
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Grocery store clerks. Fast food cashiers. Hospice care workers. Bus drivers. Farm workers. Along with doctors and nurses, these are the people who are putting their own lives at risk to keep our society functioning day in and out amid the worst crisis of our lifetimes. We call them heroes, we label them “essential,” and we clap for their brave efforts -- even though none of them signed up for this monumental task, and many of them lack basic healthcare, paid sick leave, a living wage, cultural respect and dignified working conditions.
How did things get this way? Why did we end up with an economy that treats our most essential workers as disposable? And what does an alternative future of work look like?
Mary Kay Henry is the president of the Service Employees International Union, a 2 million person organization that represents a huge segment of America’s essential workers. If you ask a traditional economist why essential workers are paid so little, they’ll talk about marginal productivity and returns to education; ask Kay Henry and she’ll talk about something very different: power.
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