Nearly 50,000 immigrants in Iowa were excluded from federal pandemic relief. Each county and city across the US has received millions of dollars in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. The purpose of this funding is to aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join us! March 14th at 5:00 PM at St. Anthony’s Church
Together We Stand – Excluded and Essential Workers Procession
Excluded and Essential Workers have been ORGANIZING in Scott County to demand American Rescue Plan funds go to workers in Scott County that performed essential jobs through out the pandemic.
On March 14th, we will lead a procession of Excluded and Essential Workers starting from St. Anthony’s Church and end in front of the Scott County Administrative Center to show Scott County Board of Supervisors that the community does care about essential workers.
The Supervisors are to have a final discussion on ARPA funds on the 15th at their 8:00 AM Committee of a Whole meeting. But as essential workers, we can not take off work to attend that meeting early in the morning. That is why we will come together on the 14th in the evening once essential workers are off work. Please arrive at 5:00 PM, so that we can start no later than 5:15 PM.
These workers have been the backbone of the economy since the moment the rest of the world went on lockdown. Essential workers did not have the luxury of working from the safety of their homes. They risked their health everyday in the hospitals, meatpacking plants, restaurants, grocery stores, and the many other essential places they worked at.Regardless of how much time, sweat, and tears they put into sustaining the economy of Scott County, the Board of Supervisors do not believe these workers should be invested in through the American Rescue Plan Act ARPA.ARPA funds are intended to go to areas and households most affected by the pandemic, not jails for kids.
Excluded and Essential workers are asking for 2 things:
1. PROVIDE IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO lOW-WAGE WORKERS EXCLUDED FROM PANDEMIC RELIEF
Allocate $10 million of ARPA funds for direct aid in the form of stimulus checks of $3,200 for every low-wage worker in Scott County who was excluded from previous rounds of pandemic relief.
2. PROVIDE PREMIUM PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Allocate $10 million in Premium Pay for low-wage, essential workers who performed essential work in Scott County throughout the pandemic.
Scott County Board of Supervisors still have the ability to invest in workers through ARPA.
https://www.facebook.com/events/482909280080196/?active_tab=about
“We’re not asking for charity; we’re asking for justice that we deserve as immigrants and essential workers.”
QCI Leader, Gloria Mancilla
Nearly 50,000 immigrants in Iowa were excluded from federal pandemic relief. Each county and city across the US has received millions of dollars in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. The purpose of this funding is to aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigrant workers across the Quad Cities are organizing to demand their elected officials allocate funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to go to Excluded and Essential Immigrant Workers. Excluded and essential workers did not have the luxury of working from home, qualifying for stimulus checks, or qualifying for unemployment benefits. Many had no choice but to show up to work sick because they could not afford to live without a week’s pay. They were the workers that the rest of the country applauded in the midst of the pandemic. But simply applauding is not enough if we really stand with these excluded and essential workers.
As allies and supporters of our immigrant brothers and sisters, we can not sit back and remain silent. We have to stand with them as they bring 2 asks to the Scott County Board of Supervisors: Funding from the ARPA funds should be allocated toward 1. Direct aid in the form of Stimulus Checks to all immigrant workers who could not qualify for federal pandemic relief due to their immigration status. 2. Premium Pay for Essential Workers.
We are not asking for charity or a hand out. We are asking for justice and dignity. This funding is intended to go to those most affected by the pandemic. Our local governments should be investing in our workers that got hit the hardest in these past two years. As the workers who held up the economy, immigrants have contributed so much into the community. Our elected officials should be prioritizing their workers!
We ask that you and members from your congregation show solidarity with these workers by attending the Scott County Board of Supervisors meeting this Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00 PM at the Scott County Administrative Center, West 4th St, Davenport IA. We will meet 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting at 4:45 so we can all go in as a unified group. If you can not attend in person, but still want to show solidarity, you can join in on zoom through the County’s website: https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/board/board-meetings
We will use public comment to have our demands heard. The workers want to be the first to speak and tell their stories of how they were impacted by the pandemic, but we also need allies like you all to speak in support of the workers during this meeting. Voices like yours are vital to getting these elected officials to listen. As allies, you can not remain silent. You have power to make them listen to us.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/480508973470183/?active_tab=about
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing…The time is always right to do the right thing.”