We are more than two weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic here in Michigan, and currently Ascension Health employees working in Southeast Michigan are being mandated to work 12.5 additional hours a week without hazard pay. Many staff members are already out sick while others will continue to be exposed to COVID-19, putting our own lives at risk and potentially our families and children. We understood the risks involved with working in healthcare prior to accepting our positions, but we are in a unique global healthcare crisis. Being on the front lines of exposure should come with some kind of reassurance in the form of financial compensation.

Hazard pay is a form of additional income offered by a company when employees are forced to face hazardous work conditions that cause extreme physical discomfort and distress. In an effort to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE), we have to store single-use masks and face shields in paper bags for prolonged use. And because of the influx of patients in the ER, we have reverted back to putting patients on stretchers in the hallways which increases our risk for exposure substantially.

We are asking for your support in the form of a signature to advocate for all Ascension Health employees to get the additional compensation that we deserve while servicing the public during this time. We deserve a raise in our hourly pay for all hours worked, not just overtime that is mandated. I believe this is something that all healthcare employees across the nation are entitled to - however, I can only speak to the conditions here in Southeast Michigan where we are not being fairly compensated for the current threat that we are facing.

Thank you so much in advance and please stay safe!