In a letter to the editor of Newsday, The Right Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, advocates for workers excluded from federal government pandemic relief. He applauds New York state for creating an Excluded Workers Fund for those ineligible for pandemic relief from the federal government.
His letter to Newsday (paywalled) follows:
Kudos for including excluded workers
I greatly appreciated the editorial “Honoring our pandemic heroes” [April 30] and agree with the opening: “We’re still counting the many ways New York’s essential workers sacrificed and suffered through the pandemic.” So I, too, support your editorial board’s call for “more than symbolic thank-yous for their service.”
This is why I applaud New York State’s inclusion of the Excluded Workers Fund in the 2021 budget that will provide financial help for undocumented immigrant workers excluded for more than a year from federal and state pandemic relief.
Our economy was inevitably hit hard by the global pandemic, but these people are largely responsible for helping us keep our heads above water. But even more significant, they risked their lives and many of them and their families lost their lives – working jobs that made it possible for the rest of us to have our elderly and sick cared for, safely obtain food and essential services, and much more.
These home health aides, restaurant, grocery, maintenance and other essential workers who have lost income during the pandemic have earned both our thanks and help paying their bills. The Excluded Workers Fund is the least that we can do.
The Right Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Garden City
Editor’s note: The writer is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island