April 16, 2020
Dear Representative,
On behalf of more than 600,000 active and retired members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I strongly urge you to co-sponsor the Paycheck Guarantee Act of 2020, proposed by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). In this time of public health and economic crisis, this urgently needed legislation will help ensure that America’s workforce and businesses remain intact so the U.S. economy is ready to quickly and efficiently restart when the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. The legislation would end the current wave of mass layoffs, bring previously displaced workers back onto their employers’ payroll, prevent employers from being forced to permanently close their doors, and keep workers connected to their employer-sponsored health insurance.
Due to necessary social distancing protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19, non-essential businesses across the country have been mandated to shut down or drastically reduce their operations. This has caused alarming levels of mass unemployment as businesses shed employees in an attempt to remain afloat. Nearly 22 million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the past three weeks alone. Without bold legislative action, as included in the Paycheck Guarantee Act, many economists are predicting levels of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression, businesses being forced to permanently shut their doors, and lasting damage done to the U.S. economy.
The Paycheck Guarantee Act would provide grants to employers of all sizes to pay for wages and healthcare benefits for their employees. The grants would cover 100% of wages up to a maximum of $100,000 per year in higher-cost areas. The grants would also provide support for fundamental business costs, such as rent, to help ensure that employers aren’t forced to permanently close their doors and can efficiently re-open when the crisis ends. The legislation includes strong protections against fraud, abuse, and overpayment. It will get money into the hands of workers quickly and efficiently by using employers’ existing payroll systems, and by keeping workers attached to their jobs, the legislation will serve to speed up our economic recovery as a nation and ultimately reduce the overall cost of this extraordinary crisis.
For all of these reasons, I urge you to co-sponsor the Paycheck Guarantee Act of 2020. To cosponsor this vitally important legislation, please contact Jennifer Chan in Representative Jayapal’s office at Jennifer.chan@mail.house.gov .
For more information, please contact IAM Legislative Director Hasan Solomon at (301)967-4575 or hsolomon@iamaw.org.
Thank you,
Robert Martinez, Jr.
International President
