Who’s a Hero? Some US States, Cities Still Debating COVID Hazard Pay

When the U.S. government allowed so-called hero pay for front-line workers as a possible use of pandemic relief money, it suggested occupations that could be eligible, from farmworkers and child care staff to janitors and truck drivers.

State and local governments have struggled to determine who among the many workers who braved the raging coronavirus pandemic before vaccines became available should qualify: only government workers, or private employees, too? Should it go to a small pool of essential workers such as nurses or be spread to others, including grocery store workers?




What the federal rules say


The rules also allow grants to be provided to third-party employers with eligible workers, who are defined as people who have had “regular in-person interactions or regular physical handling of items that were also handled by others” or a heightened risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The rules encourage state and local governments to “prioritize providing retrospective premium pay where possible, recognizing that many essential workers have not yet received additional compensation for work conducted over the course of many months,” while also prioritizing lower-income eligible workers.


A list of hazard and premium pay state allocations as of Nov. 18, provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures, shows funds have typically been set aside for government workers such as state troopers and correctional officers.

In Minnesota, lawmakers still have $250 million in aid set aside for hero pay, but they’ve been struggling with how to distribute it. A special committee was unable to come up with a compromise plan, instead sending two competing recommendations to the full Legislature for consideration.

“I think every time we take another week, we’re just delaying the whole process, and I think the fastest way is to get them over to the Legislature,” said Republican state Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, a member of the committee, during a meeting last month.



Earlier this week, after it appeared that a political impasse was easing over another issue, Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman told Minnesota Public Radio that she believed an agreement could be reached on frontline worker pay, noting there was a “pretty natural middle ground” between the dueling proposals.

Connecticut governor pressured


As negotiations continue with union leaders, the Connecticut AFL-CIO labor organization has stepped up pressure on Democratic Governor Ned Lamont, who is up for reelection in 2022, to provide $1 an hour in hazard pay to all public- and private-sector essential workers who worked during the pandemic before vaccinations became available.

“The governor needs to reevaluate his priorities and show that these workers who put themselves and their lives at risk are a top priority. I think it’s really the least he can do for these workers,” said Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. “These workers showed up for Connecticut. It’s time (for the) . . . governor to show up for them.”

Max Reiss, Lamont’s spokesperson, said the figures cited by organized labor are “just not feasible.”

In the meantime, he said, the administration is in negotiations with state employee unions, classifying the work state employees did during the pandemic and determining whether they might have shifted to other responsibilities that were more or less risky, which could also affect whether they receive more or less money.


In some states such as California, cities are determining how to fairly distribute some of their federal funds to help essential private-sector workers who may not have received extra pay from their employers.




“We’ve demonstrated a commitment to this partnership. And I think we feel a little betrayed by the city right now, when they’re not dealing with us, when they came into this windfall,” said Dobbs, president of the Bridgeport Firefighters Association, which had given up pay raises when the city’s budget was tight. “Imagine loaning your friends a decent amount of money and then hitting the Powerball and not making things right.” 


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