Nancy Schaffer: Remember, my health is your health

I am a restaurant worker.

We closed our doors to dine-in operations in March because of the coronavirus and now we don’t know when we will open. As a manager, I have some questions about what our business will look like in the future. Right now, though, I have some questions about the issues surrounding health care for restaurant workers.

The truth is the hospitality industry is seriously lacking in this area. The global pandemic has highlighted the fact we are all connected. My health is your health; your health is my health. It’s time we started acting like it when it comes to more than just social distancing and wearing masks. We need to start acting like everyone’s well-being is connected when it comes to health care and health insurance.

The health care and employment problems that this crisis has drawn attention to are problems that we have been struggling with for years, and not just in the hospitality sector. This would be a great time to start a discussion about these issues. Many people agree that we aren’t going back to “normal,” but what does that mean for us? Is it possible that we can go back to something better than what we had?

As restaurant workers, we are used to going without many things that a lot of Americans take for granted. We work every holiday, and we don’t get paid extra. We don’t get paid sick leave. Even with the Affordable Care Act, which requires that companies with more than 50 employees offer health care, many restaurant workers still do not have health insurance. Some studies suggest that 90% of restaurant workers don’t have health care.

I’m lucky enough to work at a company that employees more than 50 people. But even on my team, there are only six out of 40 people who are covered by health insurance. And we can’t afford to cover any other members of our families – the premiums go up about four times if you want to add anyone to your policy. Even worse, most of my team is not eligible for health insurance because they don’t work enough hours to qualify. They would have to work six or seven days a week to be eligible, because of the length of their shifts.

In the past, restaurant workers have been expected to be at work even when they were feeling under the weather. This has been an industry standard. I think most people agree that we must change that – but does the average customer understand what that is going to mean? It means that your cheeseburger might be a little slow in getting to you. And without sick pay, many restaurant workers just can’t afford not to come to work. How can we change our business model so that we take care of everyone and still make a profit?

It takes a special type of person to work in the restaurant industry. We have strong personalities which, when combined with patience and humility, allow us to graciously serve a demanding public. The work is hard, but the tips make it worthwhile. Usually. Still, we have an industry with extremely high turnover rates. While unemployment rates were decreasing in the past few years around the country, turnover rates in the restaurant industry were rising. High turnover rates cost companies money – probably more than health care and sick pay.

I went from supervising a staff of about 40 employees at the beginning of last month to having only four working right now. Last week, our company announced that we would all continue to get paid. Thankfully, our restaurant is part of a tribal casino and we are benefiting from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). I have been concerned about the welfare of my employees since COVID-19 hit the global stage. As a manager, I am pleased that, at least for the next several weeks, my co-workers are going to continue to get paid even if we aren’t back at work. I’m hopeful that we can resume profitable operations soon, but until we do, I am grateful that my employees are able to pay their bills and buy food for their families.

When upper management proudly told me that my employees would get to keep their insurance benefits, I sadly reminded him that few of us are covered.

I miss my restaurant. I miss my employees and I miss my customers. I miss the hustle and bustle of a busy Friday night. I know that we aren’t going back to “normal” any time soon and we may never go back to what we had before. But I am hopeful that some good will come of this. I think we need to go back to something better. Let’s recognize that we are connected and let’s do something about it.

My health is your health; your health is my health.