Workers who quit rather than risk COVID on job still hope to collect unemployment
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Jonathan Burlingame had seen enough in mid-July.
The machines at the factory he worked at in South Boston were not wiped down enough, he said. Gloves and masks were in short supply, except for the workers who, like himself, took it upon themselves to bring their own. And he heard that some workers were testing positive, even though management hadn’t said a word.
With his parents moving in with him in a matter of weeks his father, 75, a two-time cancer survivor and mother, 71, both fleeing rising coronavirus cases in Florida Burlingame quit, deciding that he couldn’t continue to go into a workplace he no longer believed was safe. Burlingame’s employer did not respond to a request for comment.
Many workers have been forced into choosing between their health and their paychecks. The Biden administration seeks to change that. But experts say it will be complicated.
St. Louis Public Radio
After closing for two months, the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station reopened in June, but some current and former employees have raised concerns about the way management is handling coronavirus safety protocols.
Justin Bohm took an entry-level job at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station when it opened a little over a year ago. He joined the new attraction because he wanted to teach people more about one of his favorite things oceans.
As a guest experience associate, he helped filter thousands of guests per day through the venue s vibrant shark tanks and fish habitats.