Millions of workers in the U.S. were hanging on financially, in a system skewed against them. Then the coronavirus happened.
For years, Mary P was employed by a major firm, cleaning its executive offices in Kansas City. Then, out of the blue a decade ago, the mother of three was told she was working for a different company.
Mary P would carry on cleaning the same offices, but over time, while executives whose desks she was polishing continued to enjoy the fruits of their company’s fortunes, she saw her pay erode, healthcare coverage diminish, and what had seemed a secure job turn into an ad hoc position with few protections.
Then coronavirus made its appearance.
“They told me to go home. They would call me if they needed me. I won’t get paid. The health insurance only lasts until the end of the month,” said Mary P, who did not wish to be identified because she hopes to return to her job.
Had coronavirus hit 15 years ago, she reckons she would have been in the same position as those whose offices she cleaned – at home, collecting salaries, reassured by good health coverage if they fall sick. But now she is cut adrift…
To read the entire article from The Guardian, click https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/america-inequality-laid-bare-coronavirus