Call-Center Workers Are Essential Responders

As policy-makers debate when and how quickly we can reopen society with COVID-19 still plaguing us, it should be abundantly clear to those of us who must work for a living that not only is a return to "normal" unlikely, what passed for "normal" was awful for far too many people. Publicly-generated revenue, from the state's many sub-contracted services that are currently serving corporate interests, must be used to provide secure and safe jobs, with a level of safety net for all workers in the state, and investments into infrastructure projects and other public needs.

Research shows that the majority of workers putting their lives on the line are women of color, and their compensation is an insult to the word "essential." These workers tend to live close to or below the poverty line, are more likely to use public transportation, and are in dire need of social services to offset their lack of resources. These statistics predated the fact that the COVID-19 virus is disproportionately killing people of color and those on the margins of poverty.