COVID-19 pandemic has created a ‘civil rights disaster’ for a lot of employees: EEOC – Enterprise Every day Information

The U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on civil rights in the workplace at its first virtual commission hearing on Wednesday.

“Today’s testimony makes it clear that while the pandemic continues to have serious public health and economic effects, it has also sparked a civil rights crisis for many American workers,” said Charlotte A. Burrows, chairwoman of the EEOC.

The commission heard testimony from a wide variety of experts on a number of related issues, some of which focused in particular on low-income women and minority groups, who make up the majority of direct caregivers in elderly and care institutions.

“Skin color women bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession: as essential workers who risk their lives for less wages than their male employees; than those who have suffered disproportionately devastating job losses; and as those who have primary responsibility for unsupported care, when our canister care infrastructure imploded this year, “said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Rights Center, in a written testimony given at the hearing was submitted.

Heidi Shierholz, senior economist and director of politics at the Economic Policy Institute, added that some people who are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are classified as unemployed rather than unemployed.

“In order for a person without a job to be classified as unemployed, he or she must be available to work and actively seek work,” said Shierholz. “However, during the pandemic, many people who are unemployed due to the crisis do not meet these criteria. For example, many employees – especially women – are unemployed due to care obligations due to COVID-19, e.g. For example, because a young child’s school is remote or an older parent’s daycare is being closed, and many workers are unemployed because it may not be safe for them to be exposed to the virus at work. “

Burrows noted that the aim of the hearing was to raise concerns in order to update EEOC’s guidance on requirements and considerations for COVID-19 vaccination mandates for employers, as well as other aspects of the pandemic.

“We all play a vital role in our economic recovery,” she said. “We need to come together to ensure that all employees can work non-discriminatory and that everyone who wants to work has equal job opportunities.”