Coronavirus Response Package Is a Step Forward But It Does Not Address Many Critical Issues Affecting Working Families

Coronavirus Response Package Is a Step Forward But It Does Not Address Many of the Critical Issues Affecting Working Families Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2020) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which passed in both the Senate and House:

LIUNA thanks Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer for their unwavering efforts on behalf of working class Americans. The coronavirus response package provides some urgently needed assistance, but falls woefully short when it comes to the needed funding for unemployment insurance, sick leave, hospitals, healthcare professionals, and federal, state and local governments to name a few.

We need to do more to address this unprecedented health, economic, and job crisis. The CARES Act also does absolutely nothing regarding COBRA health care coverage and important pension reforms and assistance which would have protected and ensured the retirement security of working families across the U.S. As millions of Americans find their livelihoods upended and their health and that of their families threatened, some Senate Republican leaders callously rejected provisions that would have helped working class Americans.

While this legislation is a step forward, it can’t and shouldn’t be the last step. It is imperative that Congress get back to work on an even more comprehensive and inclusive stimulus package that ensures that families across America receive the help they need and deserve.

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