Union Matters

Labor Day travel is up; people have mixed feelings on unemployment benefits

By STEPHON JOHNSON

Amsterdam News Staff

In Americans’ desire to get back to normal, Labor Day travel is back on the rise. Concern for the people the day celebrates is another story.

A recent survey by WalletHub found that Labor Day travel will rise by 48% when compared to 2020 and 24% more people plan on going shopping.

But for actual labor? Thirty-eight percent of those polled didn’t think that Congress should continue to give extra unemployment benefits.

“While that’s not the majority opinion, it is one that should be taken seriously. In some cases, people are making more money collecting unemployment benefits than they were while working, which is leaving some businesses unable to find workers despite having open positions,” said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez.

The AmNews recently spoke to Kathryn Tilly Wright who said that working a job that doesn’t pay much is part of the reason why workers haven’t joined the ranks of the employed.

“Burnout is the major cause of not being able to retain staff, and financial concerns play a huge part of this,” said Wright. “Many of the people I talked to across the whole country said their paycheck cannot sustain them; however they are told they cannot be paid more as their pay is dependent on reimbursement from the states. Many direct service professionals became sick as a result of doing their job. People with disabilities were disproportionately impacted by COVID, due to preexisting conditions and living in congregate settings. We lost a lot of people we support and staff last year.”

Complaints from business owners about their inability to find workers has been one of the many conversations people have had since the slow re-opening of the American economy. The AmNews recently reported on a restaurant owner in Brooklyn who said that the increase in cost of running his establishment (money for PPEs, etc.) makes it difficult for him to profit and only leaves major outlets like Costco and Whole Foods with the ability to succeed despite an increase in costs.

According to a poll by Alignable, a small business network, 45% of all restaurants in the country couldn’t pay August rent. When broken down locally and demographically, 52% of minorityowned small businesses couldn’t make August rent. In New York alone, 41% of small businesses couldn’t pay August rent. The highest of all 50 states and the second month in a row that it has topped Alignable’s poll.

Unemployment remains a huge topic nationally. During the week of Aug. 16, 10 states reported unemployment claims last week that were lower than prepandemic levels (North Dakota, Arizona, Arkansas, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Vermont, New York, Kentucky and Louisiana), and four states (Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland and Oregon) and D.C. had unemployment claims that were worse than the same week in 2020.

No matter the recovery, a minority of people surveyed by WalletHub don’t think the government should continue providing extra unemployment benefits.

Stated Gonzalez, “The extra unemployment benefits were very necessary during the height of the pandemic, but the job market has experienced enough of a recovery that they are no longer needed.”

For those who are still employed, Labor Day couldn’t come fast enough. Fifty-seven percent of Americans left vacation days unused in 2020 while 42% of organizations have made or plan on making changes to time-off policies because of the pandemic.

But the Delta variant of COVID19 could put things on hold and leave people with more unused vacation days. WalletHub’s report states that 81% of Americans believe that COVID variants will have a negative impact on the economy. This tracks with Partnership for New York City’s report showing that 44% of employers have delayed their return-to-office plans because of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, 54% have not delayed their return-to-office plans, and 2% have not yet determined whether to delay.

Among employers that have delayed their return-to-office plans, 42% postponed for one month or less, 18% for between two and three months, 10% for three months or more, and 28% are evaluating on an ongoing basis.

“The best way to prevent variants from hurting the economy is to get as many people vaccinated as possible,” said Gonzalez.

Labor Day

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were essential before the pandemic, and they will always be essential. This Labor Day, I hope Americans will reflect on the real sacrifices working people make, and have always made, on behalf of our country and economy.”

The term “essential worker” took on a new meaning these past 15 months. The public-atlarge realized how important workers like nurses, housekeepers, security guards, cleaners, corrections officers, teachers and handypeople were. New Yorkers engaged in a daily applause, at 7 p.m., to show their appreciation for essential workers who are on the frontlines increasing their chances of acquiring COVID than the average New Yorkers.

Elected officials have noticed. This week, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced that around $7.5 million stolen prevailing wages were returned to 400 essential workers during the COVID pandemic. This comes off Stringer launching a phone banking campaign to identify and return unclaimed/ stolen wages back to labor.

“During the economic hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that workers get the wages they are rightfully owed,” said Comptroller Stringer. “I am proud that my office, in partnership with labor and community-based organizations, has connected more than 400 workers with $7.5 million in stolen wages. I always say that every week should be Labor Rights Week, because

workers are most empowered when they know their rights and can advocate for what they deserve.”

While COVID is the current culprit, there have been other dangers at the workplace. Luckily, some of those issues were taken care of in a law that passed in 1970.

Since the government enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) more than 600,000 worker lives have been saved. The annual cost of workers injury and illness nationally is more than $250 billion.

According to City Hall, in 2020 alone, 298 frontline municipal employees died from the coronavirus. The deceased were

disproportionately Black and Latino. According to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, as of early April, 156 transit workers had died from COVID.

Despite the many deaths surrounding organized labor, there were still things to be thankful for. Things that could’ve made this situation worse.

“This Labor Day, we recognize that we stand on the shoulders of giants who risked their lives in their fight to improve conditions for workers,” said SEIU 32BJ President Kyle Bragg to the AmNews. “Their efforts secured the right to collective bargaining, a 40-hour work week, and workplace safety standards, among other hard-fought victories for working people. Organized labor is the strongest force we have for building the middle class and ending poverty. The improved conditions that unions secure for unionized workers lift up all workers. “We have much more to do to secure full dignity and respect for workers, including improving conditions for essential workers who put themselves and their families’ health on the line during this nation’s darkest days. Supporting the workers who risked it all for this country is a smart investment—and a moral imperative.”

Essential workers across the Hudson River used Labor Day to practice the rights that their predecessors fought for.

Early Wednesday, dozens of concierge workers at the luxury development The Shipyard, located in Hoboken, New Jersey gathered and protested the lack of insurance and benefits provided to them by their contractor Planned Companies (which was once investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor who found they the contractor engaged in wage theft failing to pay the full overtime wages owed for training periods to more than 500 employees). They’ve called for Ironstate Development, a major property owner in the area, to help them improve worker conditions, benefits, paid time off or hire a contractor who will.

“This is the city I love, and this city is my home; but many like myself need good jobs to afford a living in Hoboken,” stated Jaron Bermudez, a Shipyard concierge who relies on Medicaid to address their health problems. “We need benefits, health care, dignity and respect.”

“Personnel at Ironstate buildings lack the basic benefits, and the dignity that all essential workers deserve,” added Kevin Brown, vice president of 32BJ and New Jersey State director. “If Ironstate wants to build, they must hire contractors that treat these workers as essential, not expendable. The city of Hoboken deserves responsible developers and contractors to lift up everyone––not just the wealthy few.”

(Photo courtesy of SEIU Local 32BJ/New Jersey) Concierge workers at The Shipyard in Hoboken rally for better health insurance and benefits

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

African American men are at highest risk so get it checked

By ANA FADICH TOMSIC, MPH, CHES

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and will strike approximately 248,000 men this year and kill more than 34,000, making it second only to lung cancer as the deadliest cancer in men.

African American men are at especially high risk. In fact, among African American males, prostate cancer accounts for a third of new cancer cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Caught early, prostate cancer can be treated, usually successfully. Early detection is especially important for African American men, who are more likely to be diagnosed when their cancer is at an advanced stage. The good news is that the earlier the disease is caught, the better the odds of successful treatment—regardless of race. In other words, all men whose cancer is caught at the same stage will have identical outcomes.

For more than 30 years, doctors have had a powerful weapon in their arsenal for detecting prostate cancer. In addition to the digital rectal exam (DRE), a physical exam that allows the doctor to feel the prostate, patients can have a simple blood test called a prostate specific antigen test (PSA) that will detect a majority of prostate problems early. Since the PSA has been used, prostate cancer deaths have declined and the number of successfully treated prostate cancer cases has risen.

However, in early stages, prostate cancer has no symptoms, so don’t wait for “something bad” to happen to Get It Checked (www.GetItChecked.com).

“There’s this stigma among African American men that if you go for a rectal test, it’s almost like you lose your virginity, like it’s a big taboo,” said Dr. David Samadi, chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and director of men’s health at St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, NY. “The bottom line is that within five minutes of examining the prostate, if there’s a firmness or any sign of cancer, as well as blood tests, we can save their lives.”

This is doubly true during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more citizens receiving their COVID-19 vaccines, don’t let the pandemic deter you from getting an easy, fast screening test. Talk to your healthcare provider to schedule one this month.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and Men’s Health Network (MHN) urges all men to talk to their healthcare providers about prostate cancer. MHN also encourages women to get involved and to urge their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and other loved ones

See OP-ED on page 25

Ebony and Jet revived!

It’s always good news when longstanding African American publications such as Ebony and Jet are resuscitated. Once the hallmarks of Johnson publications, their revival comes via the financial and visionary efforts of Junior Bridgeman, a former NBA star.

Last December, Bridgeman, who acquired his wealth through ownership of hundreds of Wendy’s and Chili’s franchises, bought Ebony Media and took the company out of bankruptcy.

His daughter, Eden Bridgeman Sklenar is now chair of the parent company and immediately began placing several qualified women to fill important posts.

Bridgeman is the kind of visionary entrepreneur we need. Not only does he have the skills and insight to accumulate wealth, he also knows how to apply it to the benefit of other struggling companies and then to install his daughter at the helm. In one sense he’s taking care of his immediate family and in a broader way the African American community.

Both moves by Bridgeman are inspirational, and we hope the action gains traction and becomes the kind of contagion we can applaud.

“If you were ever wanting to know what was happening with African American culture, all you had to do was pick up an Ebony or Jet and flip through the pages,” Ms. Sklenar said in an interview.

According to reports, the plan is to improve its status in the digital realm and offer only four printed copies annually, a process in effect by a number of publications.

Readers are sure to line up for their copy of the printed version with Jennifer Hudson on the cover, featuring her starring role in “Respect,” the biopic of Aretha Franklin’s life. But there’s sure to be more in the pages that once had such outstanding articles by Lerone Bennett and a coterie of fine journalists.

Whatever the content, it’s good to have Ebony and Jet back in our lives, back in our Black lives where it matters.

Pres. Biden, do more to protect voting rights

By BEN JEALOUS

I was proud to work hard for the election of President Joe Biden. And I was proud to protest outside the Biden White House on Aug. 24. Along with other voting rights activists, including our co-organizers at the League of Women Voters, I called on President Biden to do more to protect voting rights under attack from Republican state legislators all across the country.

President Biden knows what the problem is. He needs to do more to solve it.

We all know how Republicans have responded to President Biden beating former President Donald Trump: by trying to rig future elections in Republicans’ favor. In state after state, they have used Trump’s false claims of voter fraud to justify new laws that make it harder for some people to vote. President Biden has correctly called this a threat to our democracy.

President Biden has called on Congress to pass the For the People Act, which would overturn many of the new restrictions and keep billionaires from buying our elections. And he has called on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would give the Justice Department the power to prevent future discriminatory voting changes from taking effect.

President Biden now needs to back up those words with stronger actions. Senate Republicans have already used filibuster rules to block the For the People Act. Now Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is getting ready to use the filibuster to block the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as well.

Senators using filibusters to protect state voter suppression laws takes us back 60 years. In fact, I just saw a guy who works for a big right-wing think tank complain that these federal voting rights bills are “an invasion of state sovereignty.”

Well.

Early in my career, I worked for a crusading Black community newspaper in Mississippi. A paper that survived multiple fire bombings. I think about that ugly history when I hear the phrase “state sovereignty” used to defend restrictions on voting.

As I told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow after the White House protest, I fear that President Biden believes he is called to be an FDR for this moment, when he is actually called to be the LBJ of this moment. When President Johnson was faced with intense opposition to federal civil rights and voting rights laws, he used every bit of his persuasive power and knowledge of the Senate to overcome those obstacles.

Like President Johnson, President Biden is a master of the Senate. We have seen him build support for an infrastructure bill. Rebuilding roads and bridges is important. But not as important as saving our democracy.

When they had the power, Senate Republicans changed filibuster rules so that Trump could pack the Supreme Court. Those rules are not sacred. They are not in the Constitution. They can be changed, and they must be changed to prevent Republicans from doing Trump’s bidding once more and blocking voting rights protections. Senate leaders have not yet built the support to make that change happen.

President Biden must publicly call on Senate Democrats to do what they need to do—remove the filibuster as an obstacle to voting rights protections. That is why I stood at the White House fence with League of Women Voters CEO Virginia Kase-Solomon and all of the organization heads, faith leaders and young elected officials o demand that Biden do his job.

At the White House we were blessed by the presence of prophetic religious voices who reminded us that we are part of an honorable history and sacred struggle for voting rights.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism invoked the names of murdered civil rights activists Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, “two young white Jewish men and a young Black Christian man who gave their lives for the right to vote.”

Rev. Timothy McDonald, co-chair of People For the American Way’s board, also grounded our protest in the history of voting rights struggles. “This fight is not a new fight,” he said. Rev. McDonald promised, “We will come back again and again and again, until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Amen.

We and our allies across the country are building a broad direct-action campaign with a profoundly moral purpose. Mr. President, it is time to show faith with the voters who put you in office. It is time to lead.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.

It’s ok to check out…

One thing we know for sure from the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has had and continues to have a lasting impact globally as well as on the U.S. economy and job market. Despite over 18 months of hardship, the stock markets have miraculously continued to move upward, indicating a renewed confidence in our economic recovery by investors both domestic and abroad. In other words, people not only want to see America win but they also believe that America can win. In fact, the markets have hit record highs, surging 100% from where they were during the start of the pandemic, although there has been some recent lag due to the COVID Delta variant, the markets have, for the most part, remained consistently strong.

Despite these trends from the markets which signal economic recovery, strength and renewed interest from investors, the most significant concern that hasn’t been discussed enough by mainstream media outlets are the number of Americans who are refusing to go back to work, but to offices and work altogether. That’s right, you heard exactly what I said: there are millions of Americans who refuse to go back to work after months of receiving financial benefits from the government. According to one statistic, 42% of people who are collecting government benefits can earn more money by collecting benefits rather than by going back to work.

If people can earn more by collecting government assistance, they’re likely not going to go back to work and why would they when they can earn more sitting at home? The government is effectively weakening our workplace which, if allowed to continue, will have grave repercussions on the economy’s ability to continue to recover. The unemployment rate has decreased not because more people are going back to work, but because people just aren’t looking, and why should they when they’re receiving so many benefits without lifting a finger.

In order for the United States to truly and sustainably recover from the pandemic, it is imperative that we get people back to work. It’s important that companies are able to resume operations as normal while taking safe and common-sense precautions to keep their workers safe. On its current trajectory, the United States is slowly being converted into a socialist country where government benefits and handouts are how people stay afloat, with hard work

becoming a thing of the past. The government is slowly transforming itself into a nanny state where people ARMSTRONG who are unwilling to work can rely on the government WILLIAMS for their livelihood. In the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, the responsibility of the U.S. government is not to provide pay out benefits indefinitely. Those safety nets that came into fruition during the pandemic were merely to help people stay afloat during difficult times and now that the country is turning around, it’s time for those safety nets to end. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be happening as companies have complained and advertised about their inability to hire people, or worse, people will accept a job, work for a few days or a week, and then stop showing up. Clearly, there are people who have used the pandemic as an excuse not to get back to work, but at what point do we mandate that people return to normalcy. Realistically, we can’t go on another 18 months giving out government supplements as this financial toll is quickly becoming unsustainable. There are restaurant owners and other small businesses missing out on selling products because they’re understaffed since people are no longer willing to work and are too selfish or unwilling to realize the lasting impact they’re having on local economies all across the country. People everywhere are complaining about not having money, not being able to pay their rent, and not being able to pay for basic necessities. But, if these same people were willing to go back to work many of those problems would be solved. The reality is simple, the U.S. economy is not out of the hot seat yet and in order to continue to strongly recover it is important that we incentivize people to get back to work by any means necessary. There was once a time in America where the idea of work, regardless of how big or how small, was a badge of honor. To work and make an honest day’s living was about having pride, dignity and self-respect. Unfortunately, today, we are surely seeing those values erased right before our very eyes. Instead of creating driven, hardworking Americans, we’re seeing a generation of beggars, whiners, and complainers. This can’t be the next story in our American journey if the American dream is to persist. However, if we don’t change the current dynamic it will be, and this will be a moment in history that we will come to regret. Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is the owner and manager of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the Year. He is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.”

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. As I prepare to teach a full semester in-person for the first time in well over a year, I must admit I am a bit nervous about taking the subway on a regular basis and being with 35 students in a classroom with windows that do not open. My worries may seem minor compared to parents who are sending their unvaccinated children back to school or others who live in hot spots where their neighbors and colleagues do not believe in vaccines or masks.

For these reasons, I am encouraging everyone I know to follow the sage wisdom of my dear friend and colleague Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean to “protect your peace.” I am doing that in a myriad of ways. I am getting sleep and drinking water. I am spending time with friends when I can. And I am taking advantage of just checking out when possible.

Each week, my dad calls and asks me what I am watching on my streaming services. We have very different television tastes so he calls each week to see if somehow our television viewing preferences have merged over the previous six days. I have been allowing myself to “check out” just a bit before the semester begins and binge watch a few shows.

Lately, “Flatbush Misdemeanors,” “Black Monday,” HBO’s NFL saga “Outside the Lines,” and “White Lotus” have kept my attention. Sometimes we need to just watch a little television and laugh and escape some of the drama surrounding us. Unfortunately, I have not been reading during the pandemic as much as I normally do when we aren’t in the midst of a crippling global crisis. I did manage to read Brit Bennett’s “The Vanish Half” earlier in the summer which captured my attention and was a true page turner.

There are so many ways we can check out, even for a few minutes each day. As I prepare for the semester, I find myself chained to my computer for hours at a time. I’ve started to practice chair yoga––that is yoga while sitting in my office chair. It’s the small things we can do to keep our bodies moving and our minds a bit more calm and our blood pressure just a touch lower.

We are living in very stressful times, and it is imperative we take some time (even if only for a few minutes each day) to check in with ourselves and check out if we must. Whether it’s televisions, novels, a stroll down the block, an extra few minutes of sleep, or something else, we must focus on taking care of ourselves and others.

As we move into the month of August, let’s use this as a time for new beginnings in all facets of our lives.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.