Jillian Henry is an essential worker — but not by choice.
As many of us stay safely inside our homes during quarantine, Henry, a junior at the University of Oregon, continues delivering pizzas. Sometimes she can put the food order on the front porch and avoid contact; other times, she has no choice but to enter apartment complexes and deliver food directly to customers.
As an employee of a local pizza shop, Henry’s customers are often grateful for her continued work. Some even call her a hero. But Henry never wanted to risk her safety by delivering pizzas. She wants to be safe in her home. Henry says she would prefer it if the name of her work remains hidden.
We live in the richest and so called “greatest” country in the world, but this college student has to put her health on the line for $12 an hour so that she can afford rent, groceries and tuition.
“At this point, I’ve pretty much accepted that I will get the virus at some point. I hope with my health and age that I’ll be okay,” Henry said.
There is an important distinction between the two types of essential workers: those who have the option to stop working and those who don’t. Doctors, police officers and nurses accepted careers knowing they involved certain risks. Many of these professionals have been trained how to both minimize risk and effectively deal with it. This hard work and sacrifice awards them above-average wages and benefits.
On average, police officers in Eugene earn $69,000 a year. Nurses in Oregon earn $92,000 a year on average and doctors can earn anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000. Although unlikely, if a doctor, nurse or police officer decided at some point that they didn’t want to take this risk anymore, they could stop. They could go home and the lights would still be on, rent would still be paid, and the refrigerator would still be full.
Then there are people like Henry: the grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, bus drivers, workers who earn close to minimum wage without healthcare.
“We’re out here as public workers, doing our job, trying to make an honest living to take care of our families,” said Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove, who died 11 days after reporting he was coughed on by a passenger, The New York Times reported.
These people didn’t sign up to be heroes and they certainly aren’t earning hero pay. When “non-essentials” interact with these workers, we will thank them for their service and we might even tip them an extra $5. We will put signs out on our lawn saying “Essential workers are heroes!” and post on Facebook about how grateful we are. But make no mistake, these workers didn’t sign up to risk their lives so you could have a pizza delivered to your door. They were forced by a system that, for decades, has said that these workers don’t deserve above liveable wage or healthcare.
When this is all over and you put away your lawn signs, and we no longer rely on these essential workers, don’t forget to thank them. Not with your tweets, Facebook posts, or big tips, but by actually trying to change working conditions and wages. Fight for affordable healthcare, for an above-minimum wage and for politicians who champion the working class.
