Emergency Leave for Essential Workers

Tell Your Senator: Essential Workers Deserve Emergency Leave! 

Call 1-877-683-6270 to Connect With Your Senator

Working People Speak About the Need for The EWELA 

Why Emergency Leave For Essential Workers Now? 

  1.  Many essential workers took unpaid time off or spent PTO to quarantine & were exempted from Families First Coronavirus Response Act PTO benefits. 
  2.  We need to do more than call essential workers heros, we need to compensate them & not leave them behind. 
  3.  Many critical industries are losing essential workers who are under financial burden. Compensating workers with PTO would go a long way to taking that pressure off. 

During the height of the pandemic, essential workers in every sector kept Minnesota safe and healthy – often at enormous cost to themselves and their families. Many were forced to use their limited PTO, dip into retirement savings, or simply go unpaid to care for their families and protect all of us from COVID-19. Their sacrifice and commitment kept Minnesota safe, healthy, and stable during the pandemic. It’s time for us to make it right and take care of those who took care of us.

Reporting and research indicate that essential workers in healthcare and critical services are considering or exploring leaving their fields at an astonishing rate. Survey data from 2020 suggested as many as 67% of nursing professionals are considering leaving their facility or the field all together. Reporting on healthcare staff, nursing home staff, school staff, and other essential workers indicates that desire to quit and turnover are at an all-time high. 

Minnesota’s healthcare, education, eldercare and social services depend on hardworking employees. Without basic financial security, many are having to consider leaving their vital jobs. Losing their expertise would cause disruptions to the life of every single Minnesotan. The Essential Workers Emergency Leave Act would help avert a crisis in Minnesota’s ability to deliver these services to all of us. The EWELA would fairly compensate essential workers who were forced to use their limited PTO, dip into retirement savings, or simply go unpaid to care for their families and protect all of us from COVID-19. The EWELA is a big step towards ensuring we don’t lose the committed workers who make Minnesota possible.

READ MORE COVERAGE:

Star Tribune Article "Essential Workers Must Be Made Whole"  Essential Workers Seek Backpay "We're Not Being Taken Care Of"