For Immediate Release -- April 29, 2020

AUSTIN - Today a group of advocates for workers wrote to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to encourage the agency to fix rules so Texans don't have to choose between their safety and their paychecks. The letter — signed by the Center for Public Policy Priorities, the Texas AFL-CIO, United Ways of Texas, and others -- asks for clarification of TWC rules that currently force workers back into potentially unsafe working conditions as businesses reopen from COVID-19 closures.

Under current rules, if someone receiving Unemployment Insurance is offered their job back or other similar work but doesn't accept it because they don’t feel safe at that workplace, then they can lose their benefits. 

TWC rules state you accept any job offer of "suitable work" that comes your way. However, the definition of "suitable work" needs clarification as it relates to risk of COVID-19 infection in the workplace. Reports that the TWC is considering clarifying their rules are encouraging, but workers will need swift clarity and rules that comprehensively cover all the risk factors Texans face to their health.

READ THE FULL LETTER HERE.

“Texans want to work, but going back to work should not mean exposing families to a snake den of dangers and impossible choices,” said Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). “No one should lose their benefits because they’re concerned about losing their life. It’s important for the Texas Workforce Commission to update their rules to reflect our new reality, as grave dangers from this pandemic are among the chief safety concerns for workers.”

“At a time when some businesses may reopen without proper health and safety protections for workers -- especially people of color, immigrants and women -- it is critical that workers be able to resist being forced into a workplace that poses a risk to their health, ” said Jonathan Lewis, a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, one of the organizations that signed the letter.

“Workers should not have to choose between their livelihoods and their physical safety in a workplace," said Rick Levy, President of the Texas AFL-CIO. "Unfortunately, current law offers no real choice at all: Get to work without regard to safety or lose your job. Without enforceable safety standards and adjustments to Unemployment Insurance rules, the choice will not just be one-sided, but will have consequences for all Texans.’’ 

A copy of the full letter is available here.

Contacts:

Oliver Bernstein, CPPP, 512.289.8618
Ed Sills, Texas AFL-CIO, 512.695.1148 
Kate Stotesbery, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, 202.494.4620
 

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