Across Florida and the nation, working people are taking the necessary precautions to stay safe in the face of COVID-19.
Below you’ll find resources from the National AFL-CIO on how to help prevent it’s spread and the actions Organized Labor is taking to stand up for working people.
CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19
BE VIGILANT. BE PREPARED.
DON’T PANIC.
The COVID-19 outbreak is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. It has spread rapidly around the globe and now throughout the United States. The World Health
Organization (WHO) has classified the outbreak as a pandemic.
Federal health officials have said we should prepare for severe disruptions to group
gatherings and public
settings, such as schools and other workplaces, and everyday life, raising a number
of concerns for working people.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS?
The COVID-19 virus is spreading from person to person, and there has been community transmission in the United States. Workplace exposure is a
serious concern. Health care workers and Transportation Security
Administration (TSA)
agents have become infected with the virus. The virus can spread through the air and
survive on surfaces.
It can be transmitted even when people do not have symptoms; and symptoms may be mild and may not present
for up to two weeks. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, shortness of
breath, muscle
ache and fatigue, whereas a runny or stuffy
nose and a sore throat
are more common with the
seasonal flu and common cold. The disease is more deadly than the seasonal flu, with a higher
risk of severe
disease or death among older people,
individuals with an underlying illness, and current and former smokers.
Those left unprotected at work are at a greater risk of becoming infected and spreading the virus.
Information on the outbreak and virus is constantly evolving. See the links at the end for the most up-to-date information.
WORKERS AT INCREASED RISK
Working people are at increased risk if they frequently interact with potentially infected or infected individuals. Workers, listed below, are on the front lines and have an increased risk of exposure; however, as the outbreak evolves, all workers may be affected in some way.
- Health care workers;
- Emergency responders (e.g., law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs);
- Airline operations (e.g., pilots, flight attendants, other airport workers);
- Other transportation operations;
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and TSA workers;
- Correctional workers;
- Educators;
- Cleaning workers;
- Workers who have been
identified as “essential personnel”
by their employers during
an outbreak or quarantine; and
- Other workers with broad exposure to the public.
PRIORITIES
FOR WORKERS AND UNIONS
- Comprehensive
workplace plans to identify potential exposure routes, controls to mitigate
risk, such as isolation, social distancing and personal
protective equipment, and training
procedures.
- Emphasis on personal hygiene practices, hand-washing and respiratory etiquette.
- Protocols to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Adherence to
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC) recommendations when hosting
and attending events
or large
gatherings. These
recommendations may
change as
the situation
evolves.
- Strong standards
and guidance
from agencies in charge
of protecting
different groups of workers
that recognize the necessity for
airborne protections for front-line workers.
- Adequate supplies of personal protective equipment, especially N95 respirators and those offering a greater level of
protection, and
respirator fit testing.
- Plans for supply shortages, including triage and prioritization.
- Protocols
in case of a workplace or community outbreak,
including possible self-quarantine or
workplace quarantine.
- Resources and preparation for a surge in demand for health services, including hospital beds and caregivers.
- Much greater capacity for coronavirus testing, with a priority for testing health care workers who take care of patients.
- Policies to
make it
possible for sick workers,
quarantined workers,
parents of
children whose
schools have closed and
workers caring
for loved
ones in
these situations
to stay
at home
without the
loss of
pay, seniority or benefits.
- Policies
to ensure that workers
are not discouraged by cost considerations
from seeking preventive treatment, testing,
ongoing treatment
or, eventually,
voluntary vaccination.
- Policies to
address the
pandemic’s impact
on the
U.S. economy
and on
specific sectors,
with a guarantee
that any sectoral assistance actually benefits
workers.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
- Launched immediate and ongoing response and coordination of
information and expertise to address
affiliate needs.
- Petitioned
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an emergency
temporary standard
for infectious diseases to protect all at-risk
workers from COVID-19 and future infectious diseases.
- Procured
supplemental funding that
included worker
health and safety training in emergency response preparedness and workplace
procedures.
- Requested
Congress to pass COVID-19
legislation and economic stimulus legislation that includes priorities of working people.
WHAT WE’RE DOING
- Working with Congress, federal agencies, and state and local governments to ensure workers are
at the forefront of
the U.S. strategy to
contain the
COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ensuring working
people have
the health
and safety
resources, training,
and tools
needed to
be protected at work during this crisis.
- Demanding
strong enforceable standards to
ensure that employers provide workers the necessary protections
to keep them safe
from all
injuries and
illnesses on the job.
- Strengthening
and rebuilding our systems of health
care, other worker protections, and economic stabilizers
whose weaknesses
have been
exposed by the crisis.
- Staying tuned to the AFL-CIO webpage below for the latest developments.
MORE INFORMATION
