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(Reuters) - Many workers called back by employers resuming or expanding operations despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic face a dilemma: return to jobs that put them at high risk of the virus, or say no, and risk going without pay or unemployment benefits.
FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden talks with a worker at the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) Mack Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
President Joe Biden argues workers should not have to make that choice.
An executive order signed on his second full day in office could make it easier for people to still qualify for jobless benefits if they quit or refuse a job that puts them at undue risk of infection from the coronavirus.
Workers Refusing Unsafe Work May Be Able to Get Unemployment Insurance
Many workers called back by employers resuming or expanding operations despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic face a dilemma: return to jobs that put them at high risk of the virus, or say no, and risk going without pay or unemployment benefits.
President Joe Biden argues workers should not have to make that choice.
An executive order signed on his second full day in office could make it easier for people to still qualify for jobless benefits if they quit or refuse a job that puts them at undue risk of infection from the coronavirus.
Study Finds Essential Workers Like Cooks Are More Likely To Die Of COVID-19
People working in agriculture, warehouses and call centers in California have all faced higher mortality rates than the average worker.
Doctors, nurses and other health care workers have taken on great risks in caring for patients sick with the coronavirus. But a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that workers in other essential fields are even more likely to die from COVID-19.
The researchers analyzed excess deaths among working-age Californians from March to October 2020, and compared the death rates by occupation to previous years. The data showed that workers in agriculture, food processing facilities, warehouses, call centers and other essential businesses all died at a higher rate than the average worker.