COVID-19 Update: CWA Demands on City of New York

CWA has made the follwing demands to the city:

• All members receive a 25% compensation supplement for the duration of the emergency.  We believe that such “hazard pay” is appropriate compensation for the extraordinary dangers to which workers are being exposed, and the extraordinary responsibilities they are shouldering.
• Any worker who has symptoms associated with Covid-19 (fever, persistent dry cough, shortness of breath, etc.) should be allowed to take paid time off, without a doctor’s note, and this should not be charged against regular vacation or sick time. No distinction should be made between workers who have regular sick time on the books or not. The goal should be to get contagious workers out of the work location without fear of going unpaid.
• Workers who have underlying medical conditions including but not limited to pulmonary disease, heart disease or diabetes should be affirmatively excused from work as long as the crisis persists. Contracting Covid-19 could be a death sentence for these workers, and special arrangements must be established to enable these workers to stay at home, with full pay, in this situation.
• Additional paid time off must be granted for breaks and lunch. As mentioned above, the closure of restaurants and stores has made it extremely difficult for workers to find bathrooms or places to have lunch while in the field. While we appreciate the addition of 15 minutes to paid lunch time, this is inadequate.