Here & Now

Workers Feel Pressure from Coronavirus

Frederica Freyberg:

It’s something that you would never expect to find in a city. The sound of silence. A surreal scene that’s playing out across Wisconsin. Bars, museums, performance venues all closed. Savannah Bierma works part time for Pabst Theater Group in Milwaukee. They’ve canceled all events through May 15. That means no work and no pay.

Savannah Bierma :

I do not have paid sick leave. I do not have paid time off. For the most part, I live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. I have a savings account but it’s pretty minimal.

Frederica Freyberg:

But help is on the way. On Wednesday, Governor Tony Evers waived some requirements to file for unemployment if an employee’s company shuts down due to COVID-19. Also, the President signed an emergency measure to provide up to 80 hours of sick leave for some workers affected by the pandemic. Wanda Lavender could use it. She manages a Popeyes restaurant in Milwaukee. She’s stuck at home after her daughter came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

Wanda Lavender:

It’s bad enough they can’t go to school, but I also can’t go to work. So, with that being said, I’m kinda in a bad predicament.

Frederica Freyberg:

One Wisconsin company brewed up an ambitious plan to help its own employees. Stone Creek Coffee closed all 13 of their locations Monday but they plan to pay their employees in full during the shutdown.

Drew Pond:

There’s about 215 of us at Stone Creek, right now. As a company we have committed to pay people through this shutdown, so we’re trying to limit the economic impact on our people because of course we all have to pay bills in spite of the fact that the world’s kinda coming to a slow halt here, but we’re trying to do everything we can to minimize the impact on our people.