Frontline workers will organize to monitor the spread of the coronavirus in their jobs.
By unanimous vote, the Los Angeles board of supervisors on Tuesday passed a motion calling for the creation of public health boards or councils in the workplace.
The motion, presented by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas, hopes to expand oversight of compliance with county health officials’ orders in the workplace to reduce transmission of COVID-19.
This will be accomplished by using workers as first-time reporters in cases of noncompliance with the goal of stopping any potential outbreaks and expanding the capacity of the Department of Public Health.
It also allows the department to certify outside worker and community organizations, which will be responsible for assisting public health councils with education, technical assistance, and tracking and reporting any case of noncompliance.
Data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows that workplaces have skyrocketed as COVID-19 outbreak sites since they reopened.
On Tuesday morning dozens of workers and activists, who gathered in a caravan shortly before the vote, recognized the effort of the essential workers and thanked Supervisors Kuehl and Ridley-Thomas for their support.
Robert Nothoff, policy director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, said the workplace is critical when it comes to public health and workers are uniquely positioned to be champions when it comes to controlling the coronavirus.
“And so, simply, when workers are engaged, the public is safer,” Nothoff said.
Celebration from a distance
María Hernández, an employee of a Ralphs store in downtown Los Angeles, supported and celebrated from her home the creation of public health boards at work.
Hernández said she was unable to attend the caravan as she continues to recover after she was diagnosed positive for COVID-19 on June 1. She added that she has already undergone two tests after her diagnosis and they continue to come out positive.
She indicates that despite taking all the necessary precautions at home, at work she was not so safe.
“At work they did not give us gloves, masks, or hand sanitizers,” said the employee. “Those of us in the group at night were more unprotected.”
He added that on one occasion the company sent masks for the store manager to give two to each employee, but he did not. He kept them in his office and the employees had to go ask for them.
Hernandez said she was concerned that the store supervisors did not impose an order on how many customers they should let in to do their shopping at one time. Nor do they require any worker previously infected with COVID-19 a letter from the doctor verifying that it is already negative.
“You don’t know the condition of the workers, they can be positive and still go back to work,” added Hernández.
The company employee for more than 25 years said that since she became infected she has not received a call from her supervisors to find out if she is okay or not.
Nothoff said the County Public Health Department did a business inspection in mid-June and found that more than half are not complying with public health orders.
“That’s pretty scary when you consider how quickly this virus spreads. All violations must be recorded as soon as possible, ”said Nothoff.
That is why the best option they have found to monitor that orders are followed and report county violations is with the workers themselves.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said the unsung heroes of our core workforce keep the economy afloat during this coronavirus crisis. “We must take advantage of the application resources of the Department of Public Health to address the safety concerns of workers, especially those related to the possible spread of COVID-19, in a timely and agile manner,” he said.
The Board of Supervisors expects an updated report of this motion from the Department of Public Health in two weeks.
The motion was supported by a coalition of labor affiliates like UFCW 770, SEIU 721 and worker centers like Clean Carwash, KiWA and many others.
