Clint Odom's Short Form Testimony to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Essential Workers

Chairwoman Maloney and Ranking Member Jordan, thank you for allowing me to testify today on behalf of the National Urban League. My long form testimony has been entered into the record.

I would like to pay tribute today to the Africans and their descendants whose labor without compensation built the U.S. Capitol, made possible the Statue of Freedom that sits atop the Capitol Dome, and made possible the rise of the United States as an economic superpower. I’d also like to lift up Ms. Breonna Taylor, an essential worker, an EMT from Louisville, whose life was cut short not by COVID, but by police officers serving a no knock warrant in March. African Americans are, and have always been, among the nation’s essential workers.

African Americans and people of color are overrepresented in the essential workforce. Their labor feeds, cleans, and cares for us. Their labor delivers life-sustaining packages, stocks our grocery stores, and transports goods and people necessary to bring this economy back from a self-induced coma. Their labor both keeps us alive and gives us dignity at life’s end. Their labor allows millions of non-essential workers to be productive while remaining safe at home. With only 1 in 5 Blacks and 1 in 6 Latinos able to work from home, essential workers occupy frontline jobs that greatly increase their exposure to the virus. Yet, we don’t pay essential workers anywhere near their worth. We don’t provide them with the work protection and benefits necessary to survive this pandemic. Without a cure or a vaccine, essential workers often must choose between living and making a living. To date, 23,251 Black lives have been lost to COVID-19.

By one estimate, 38% of African American workers are employed in essential industries. In places like New York City, however, 75 percent of essential workers are people of color, including 82 percent of cleaning services employees.

Black women, in particular, bear the brunt of the essential worker dilemma. Black women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs, such as nursing assistants and personal-care or home-health aides. When compounded with government-mandated school closures and restrictions on movement and a lack of affordable access to childcare, the stress of running a household for Black women is exacerbated. In addition, half of black households with children are headed by single women. Of these households, 38% live below the poverty line.

When exposed to the virus, blacks are hospitalized at 2.5 times the rate of Whites, and, nationally, African American deaths from COVID-19 are nearly two times greater than would be expected based on their share of the population. Blacks and Latinos are more likely to have preexisting health conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes, that make death from viral infection more likely.

With respect to pay, essential workers are paid less than nonessential workers. Essential workers in the food and agriculture industry have the lowest median hourly wage at $13.12.

African Americans and other workers of color often work for employers that do not offer health insurance. Uninsured COVID-19 medical expenses can decimate a family’s finances. Testing alone can add up to about $1,300, while the cost of hospitalization and treatment for more severe cases of COVID-19 can cost almost $75,000 without insurance.

Although workers of color are overrepresented among essential workers, they suffer from the second blow of higher unemployment rates caused by the pandemic. CBO explained as follows:

“Low wage workers and low-income families have borne the brunt of the economic crisis, in part because the industries hardest hit by the pandemic and social distancing measures disproportionately employ low- wage workers. Furthermore, workers who are younger, female, have less education, and are from certain racial or ethnic groups have seen disproportionately large job losses.”

You have heard from other witnesses today about the need for PPE, union representation, a living wage, and the need to pass the HEROES act and the important Heroes Compensation Act. These are excellent ideas. The Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act only works, however, if essential workers contract COVID-19 while employed. The economic data suggest that Black unemployment, hovering near 17%, will become more acute over time. Last week’s May employment numbers do not suggest that the economy is moving out of the woods. Fiscal policy will be the main driver of economic growth in the early stages of recovery. We’re still in a deep hole with 13 3 percent unemployment. Congress must take these concerns very seriously and inject more fiscal stimulus into the economy. Thank you again, and I look forward to your questions.