Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide) will be a featured panelist in a Brookings Institute webinar on innovative ways essential workers are being supported at the federal, state, and local levels. The event, hosted by Brookings Metro, will take place Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7 a.m. PST. Mosqueda joins other featured speakers Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Jared Bernstein, Member of the Council of Economic Advisors for President Biden.
“I’m thrilled to be joining other government leaders to discuss how cities and states have been a key partner in passing worker protections and providing aid during this pandemic. Our essential workers have been on the frontlines of this pandemic, and it is our duty as elected leaders to create policies that increase their safety, as essential workers have been vital in helping our community with food access, transportation and education,” Mosqueda said.
Mosqueda will share what the City of Seattle has done to protect and invest in essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, both legislatively and through its budget. Some of the work the Seattle City Council has led on includes:
- Passed a $4/hour hazard pay for grocery workers for grocery store workers during the pandemic who are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
- Expanded paid sick and safe time protections to app-based gig workers, such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates and Uber Eats, during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Created a $5 million Restaurant & Hospitality Worker Relief Fund to meet the emerging needs of small restaurants and bars during pandemic, with direct assistance to hospitality workers.
- Provided gig workers working for food delivery network companies and transportation network companies with premium pay and increased protections for essential workers on the frontlines of this pandemic.
- Passed increased funding for free childcare for essential workers and families in need during the pandemic.
- Expanded Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time policy to cover childcare, school, and adult-day care closures due to a public health emergency to provide workers with paid-time off to care for loved ones when their place of care closed.
- Shifted city’s COVID-19 Relief Fund toward worker supports, such as accessible childcare, food vouchers, and direct cash assistance to immigrant and refugee communities.
- Advocated for more vaccine access for essential workers, and passed a resolution calling for equitable distribution of vaccines for our diverse population.
Those who want to attend the webinar should register at https://brook.gs/2ODxXtv.
