Dear Neighbor,
This is the fourth of a series of topic specific newsletters that I will be sharing with you over the next several weeks. You can read all my newsletters here. I know that together we will continue to work to address the challenges in our communities and make Ward 2 and DC the best place to learn, live, work, play, and do business.
Celebrating Labor Day and Honoring our Local Workforce and their Families
Happy Labor to all the workers whose efforts help to make the District of Columbia the best city in the world! This past year has been particularly challenging as we have continued to deal with the effects of a global heath pandemic, worked towards economic recovery, and supported residents navigating matters concerning their health, schooling, employment, and so much more.
This year has showed us more than any other just how grateful we should be for our workforce. All of our workers – from those serving as first responders and healthcare staffers, to teachers and school administrators, to sanitation workers and nonprofit leaders, and hospitality workers – gave so much of themselves so that we could survive and make the best of all that was happening around us.
In this year’s budget proposal, which was passed in August and goes into effect on October 1st, we honored our local workforce and increased supports for them and their families. See some of the items we were proud to support below:
Increasing Opportunities and Supports for our Local Workforce and their Families
- $168 million in childcare subsidy investments, including for a pilot program to ensure that childcare workers are paid more.
- $105 million to expand the Universal Paid Leave fund to expand medical leave benefits from 2 weeks to up to 6 weeks and add 2 weeks of pre-natal leave benefits.
- $32 million for Baby Bonds to invest in our youth and address the racial wealth gap.
- $8 million to expand IT training opportunities for District residents.
- $1.5 million to address teacher pay parity at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and a requirement that DCPS must work to update Ellington’s funding model to pay our teachers more.
- $750,000 to support a teacher pipeline for DCPS and DCPCS schools.
Offering Relief During the Pandemic
- $41 million to support excluded workers and to exempt those funds and other unemployment funds from taxation.
- $5 million for one-time $500 payments for 10,000 District residents who had to wait two months or longer to receive their unemployment insurance payments.
- Efforts for Economic Recovery and Supports for Small Business.
- $40 million in the Hotel BRIDGE Fund to support the post-pandemic recovery of our hospitality industry.
- $40 million for rent relief for small business.
- $2 million to support the Golden Triangle BID’s business innovation district.
Our local workforce continues to have our backs, and we thank them and their families for all of the hard work and sacrifice they give our city every day. We look forward to partnering with all of you as we continue to improve working conditions, fight against wage theft, and improve the quality of life in our city.
Yours in Service,
Brooke
