How COVID Transformed Labor | Jamie McCallum | TMR

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the labor market, leading to widespread job losses and changes in the way people work. The pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, with many companies adopting remote work policies to protect the health of their employees. This has led to a rise in telecommuting and a decrease in the number of people working in traditional office settings. Additionally, the pandemic has disproportionately affected low-wage workers and those in industries such as hospitality and retail, leading to increased economic inequality. The pandemic has also affected the way workers are hired, as companies have reduced their hiring plans, leading to an increase in unemployment and a decrease in job opportunities.

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And we are joined now by Jamie McCallum professor of Sociology at Middlebury College and author of Essential: How the pandemic transformed the long fight for worker Justice. Jamie thanks so much for coming on today. Thanks for having me. of course. So the pandemic really birthed I would say the wide use of the term essential worker. And that's a broad umbrella term for nurses and medical workers but for grocery workers and retail workers as you describe. and they were essentially like the people that we need to keep our society going during the pandemic. But that necessity was not translated Beyond Applause towards recognition in the form of pay. I mean that let's just start there because that is the foundation of what you write about. right yeah, so the people I talked to about 100 essential workers in a million different Industries. and their main concern was that the public Applause and adulation and respect were never translating into some real material benefit. And so they felt both happy that for once essential workers had always been there. they were always around. They're still around. We just gave them a new name for a couple years. and during that time a lot of them were proud of that you know the adage or that name. But you know really there was a moment of cognitive dissonance when it did not really amount to any sort of real significant transformation in their lives. Well, they were called Heroes and then they were left to die. That was the reality. yeah exactly. so the hero worship thing was pretty interesting. The book starts in New York where I talk to nurses who were walking into their Hospital while Applause is happening. knowing full well that like you know members of the public if the government is not doing what it has to do to keep cases down. And there is a real tension there between that sort of respect and that you know on the one hand then LA or sort of celebrity status but then lack of real respect.