Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke at a virtual town hall and believes that the key to reopening the economy is testing. He said that COVID-19 testing will be the "linchpin" to reopening America and pointed out how important it is for essential workers to have access to rapid result testing.
The virtual town hall was organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens, known as LULAC, one of the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization. He spent time speaking with workers at a meat processing plant and sent a message to all essential workers, particularly those in those plants, saying "we owe you" and stressed that they deserve additional pay, protective equipment, and priority for coronavirus tests.
Biden also said that the federal government should enforce rigorous employment standards to make sure frontline workers get the testing as well as paid sick leave. He added that "paid sick leave is not a luxury, it's a basic human necessity."
The former Vice President also talked about:
- Proposing a $13/per hour minimum additional pay raise for frontline workers, including meatpackers.
- That “nursing homes and meatpacking plants are the most dangerous places there are right now.”
- That regardless of immigration status, plant workers should get paid sick leave and free COVID-19 treatment
- That immigrants should be able to join unions and be shielded from deportation when they report an illness.
Source:PBS News Hour