Letter to the Editor by Emily Kanter
Boston Globe, March 11, 2020
Below is an incomplete list of all the people who cannot “work from home” and who run the risk of their livelihoods being drastically affected if our local, state, and federal governments do not act to create broad-based economic solutions to support all this “social distancing” we’re talking about.
These employees’ livelihoods require showing up, and most small businesses, like mine, are not able to provide for all employees, en masse, to suddenly take two (or eight) weeks of paid leave. Until governments act to provide economic solutions (and a social safety net), we should stop making it seem like “working from home” is a viable solution for everyone.
Consider: retail workers (including essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies), cafe and restaurant workers, construction workers, health care providers, nursing home staff, janitors and house cleaners, first responders (firefighters, EMTs, police), preschool teachers and day-care providers, taxi drivers, farm workers, lab technicians, auto workers, and mechanics.
Emily Kanter Co-owner Cambridge Naturals Cambridge
Copyright 2020 Emily Kanter