Let’s talk about the social function of #COVID19 vaccines, and how that is likely very different for working people vs. the professional class.
🧵1/17
🧵1/17
We’re hearing a lot now from pundits and govt leaders that “the vaccines were never intended to stop infections, their purpose is to prevent hospitalizations and deaths”
Setting aside the revisionist history, what are the implications for workers vs white collar folks?
2/17
Setting aside the revisionist history, what are the implications for workers vs white collar folks?
2/17
PAID SICK LEAVE:
Most white collar professionals have it, most workers don’t.
College-educated folks can often work from home during quarantine or isolation.
Blue collar, service, retail sales workers can *never* work from home. Never.
3/17
Most white collar professionals have it, most workers don’t.
College-educated folks can often work from home during quarantine or isolation.
Blue collar, service, retail sales workers can *never* work from home. Never.
3/17
Most white collar professionals do not have to worry about #COVID19 illness causing them to lose their jobs, or at the very least 1-3 weeks of pay.
For workers, this is the first and foremost immediate concern.
4/17
For workers, this is the first and foremost immediate concern.
4/17
Add to that the fact that a vaccine dose knocks most people off their feet for 24-48 hours, and you can begin to understand that for working people, the calculus is complex and the benefits greatly reduced.
5/17
5/17
What is the value of a vaccine (and now with #omicron even a booster) which will NOT prevent infection, NOT prevent symptomatic illness, NOT prevent missed days of work, NOT prevent potential for income loss and even job loss?
Workers are neither stupid nor illogical.
6/17
Workers are neither stupid nor illogical.
6/17
At a critical juncture earlier this year, when we already knew #DeltaVariant was ravaging India, @CDCDirector made a fateful decision to pit vaccines *against* masking, ventilation, air filtration, and other non-pharm airborne mitigation strategies.
7/17
7/17
By telling the 🇺🇸 that only unvaccinated people should wear masks, she politicized masks, politicized vaccines, and instantly turned “the unvaccinated” into the latest scapegoats of a nation with a sordid history of scapegoating.
8/17
8/17
Perhaps less appreciated was how profoundly anti-worker and anti-labor these policies were. Disregard for the real life constraints on working people continues unabated (e.g. the insurance reimbursement for rapid tests policy, which only benefits those with higher incomes)
9/17
9/17
Pundits:
“So everyone should stock up on rapid tests, and test frequently before gathering”
Worker reality: Rapid tests are VERY expensive ($12/test) and nearly impossible to find in many locales. Price gouging online is ⬆️ with omicron
10/17
“So everyone should stock up on rapid tests, and test frequently before gathering”
Worker reality: Rapid tests are VERY expensive ($12/test) and nearly impossible to find in many locales. Price gouging online is ⬆️ with omicron
10/17
Pundits:
“Upgrade to an N95 mask if you must be in crowded indoor spaces”
Worker reality: N95 masks cost around $1@ which, after multiplying by days needed and number of family members, can be a substantial budget item for hourly wage workers.
11/17
“Upgrade to an N95 mask if you must be in crowded indoor spaces”
Worker reality: N95 masks cost around $1@ which, after multiplying by days needed and number of family members, can be a substantial budget item for hourly wage workers.
11/17
The current situation, with #omicron surging, is going to crush workers and their families.
Thus far we have:
➡️ NO free N95/KN95 masks for workers
➡️ NO guaranteed pay-to-stay-home for workers
➡️ NO universal OSHA infection control regs
➡️ NO beefing up OSHA enforcement
12/17
Thus far we have:
➡️ NO free N95/KN95 masks for workers
➡️ NO guaranteed pay-to-stay-home for workers
➡️ NO universal OSHA infection control regs
➡️ NO beefing up OSHA enforcement
12/17
The number of new #omicron #COVID19 cases is going to roughly quadruple in the next *week*.
None of the policies announced yesterday will put even the slightest dent in the exponential case growth that is happening *now*.
13/17
None of the policies announced yesterday will put even the slightest dent in the exponential case growth that is happening *now*.
13/17
Rapid tests help identify a problem, but especially for working people, they don’t solve *anything*. Why?
Working people rarely live in homes large enough for a covid+ family member to be in a room alone.
Covid+ people need N95 masks for themselves and family members.
14/17
Working people rarely live in homes large enough for a covid+ family member to be in a room alone.
Covid+ people need N95 masks for themselves and family members.
14/17
In the spirit of solidarity and mutual aid (see @tressiemcphd latest in @nytimes) what can unions and other labor allies do immediately, this week, to help prevent worker infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from #COVID19 ?
15/17
15/17
My answer:
Get FREE* N95 respirator masks into the hands of blue collar, service, and retail sales workers and their families.
FREE = no money, no appointments, no paperwork, no ID, no hassle
16/17
Get FREE* N95 respirator masks into the hands of blue collar, service, and retail sales workers and their families.
FREE = no money, no appointments, no paperwork, no ID, no hassle
16/17
Worker/labor orgs and allies please share this 🧵
@AFLCIO @SEIU @UFCW @unitehere @UAW @lizshuler @FlyingWithSara @NEAToday @AFTunion @rweingarten @MineWorkers @IATSE @Marc_Perrone @GrimKim @fastlerner @edyong209 @IndianCountry @DonnerKay @Edwin_D_Rios
17/17
@AFLCIO @SEIU @UFCW @unitehere @UAW @lizshuler @FlyingWithSara @NEAToday @AFTunion @rweingarten @MineWorkers @IATSE @Marc_Perrone @GrimKim @fastlerner @edyong209 @IndianCountry @DonnerKay @Edwin_D_Rios
17/17
18/17 Link to our paper on social class, racialized capitalism, and COVID-19 mortality
https://twitter.com/BethPathak/status/1471576642392838148
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