Health Sep 28 How firefighters’ life-saving work puts them at a higher risk of cancer By Stephanie Sy, Lena I. Jackson
Nation Nov 21 Watch 11:23 Low wage, essential workers demand better protections in California Low-wage, essential workers who can’t do their jobs from home are facing an unequal playing field as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue. In California, many of the state’s 556,000 fast-food workers have protested what they call a widespread… By Ivette Feliciano
Politics Feb 23 WATCH: Biden, Rice lead roundtable with Black essential workers He spoke with a EMT from Missouri, a pharmacist from Illinois, a child care worker from Ohio and a grocery store manager from Iowa. By Courtney Vinopal and Associated Press
Economy Feb 13 Watch 6:50 An unexpected pitfall for some cities’ mandatory hazard pay for essential workers Despite the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, hazards for frontline workers continue. Early in the pandemic, many large companies increased pay for essential workers, but many of those raises have now expired. Seattle and several cities across California have passed mandatory… By Laura Fong
Nation Feb 13 Watch 6:47 Some cities made hazard pay for essential workers mandatory— what companies, and local governments, have to say about it When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation last March, many large food retailers increased their frontline workers’ pay by several dollars an hour. Dubbed ‘hero pay,' the programs have since ended, despite the remaining dangers for workers. Some cities have… By PBS NewsHour
Dec 20 People over 75, essential workers next in line for vaccine By John Hanna, Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The developments occurred as the nation seeks to ramp up a vaccination program that only began in the last week and so far has given initial shots to about 556,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading
Nov 27 Watch 5:58 High hospitalization numbers are putting a strain on nurses There are now more than 90,000 people hospitalized in the country with COVID-related illness, the highest number since the pandemic began. Hospital ICU's are nearly filled in some places, and the U.S. currently averages more than 1,500 deaths a day. Continue watching
Nov 26 Watch 5:16 Essential workers’ Brief But Spectacular takes on what they’re grateful for this year During the last eight months, our Brief But Spectacular team has profiled numerous brave voices whose work has been deemed essential and whose lives have been transformed by the pandemic. We reconnected with them this past week to ask how… Continue watching
Nov 17 Watch 6:45 As Trump claims fraud, officials say this election was ‘the most secure’ By William Brangham, Courtney Norris President Trump and his allies continue to sow doubt over the American electoral process, questioning the intentions of election administrators and poll workers and falsely claiming rampant voter fraud. How do these essential workers, who represent both parties, feel about… Continue watching
Nov 11 Watch 6:46 Deemed essential, California farmworkers risk disease and deportation By Stephanie Sy, Lena I. Jackson, Casey Kuhn As the United States grapples with the latest surge in coronavirus, some workers are trying to cope with illness and economic hardship while also facing the threat of deportation. In California’s Coachella Valley, agricultural workers deemed essential to the U.S. Continue watching