As one of the largest groups of employees in the US, restaurant workers have long felt unheard, underappreciated and expendable. In these unsettling times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel this more than ever. Our industry has not only been annihilated by this tragedy, it has also been changed for the foreseeable future. Now, we are being asked to go back to work when we are not ready. In fact, many workers are being given the ultimatum by their employers to either risk their lives working in potentially dangerous environments or lose their unemployment benefits. And though numbers are down for cases and deaths in the state, experts are urging governments to brace themselves for a second wave of infections.* We believe that reopening now is way too soon.

Service workers are low-wage workers with little protection under the law and our industry has long been known for its labor violations, hostile working conditions, and systemic discrimination unchecked by an at-will employment state. While some owners will take the health of their staff into consideration it's presumptuous to assume that an industry that has treated the majority of its workforce as disposable will change in the face of economic turmoil, especially with only a week to prepare. We cannot trust that our employers are going to put our health and safety, and that of our families, first. In addition, since many of us don’t have healthcare, the potential lasting repercussions to our health with a COVID-19 diagnosis could be even more financially disastrous for us. We need to be assured by our government, if we are forced to come back to work, that our livelihoods--and our lives--matter.

Though there have been guidelines put forth that are meant to enforce a variety of safety protocols, bars and restaurants are regarded by infectious disease experts as high-risk establishments during the pandemic for the following reasons: 1) Customers will not be able to wear masks while eating or drinking, 2) Those under the influence of alcohol are less likely to follow proper guidelines, and 3) Bar culture promotes crowding and mingling amongst customers.** There has also been evidence that shows that air conditioning units can spread the virus in places like restaurants and bars.*** And despite these guidelines, we as workers don’t feel confident that proper action will be taken against employers who breach them. On top of all this, with Michigan being an at-will employment state, those of us who decide to speak out about our concerns are faced with the possibility of being fired and losing our income and unemployment completely.
 
Finally, at 50% capacity, an industry that used to be lucrative will no longer be feasible financially. Because we rely on our tips as wages, we are all expected to now take at least a 50% pay cut with significantly more risk. How do we survive making a fraction of what we used to make? We have many questions that we feel need to be addressed and answered before we put ourselves in potential danger. Is it really worth a spike in cases just for a few dine-in service guests? While we understand that there are essential businesses that need to stay open during the pandemic, having a beer or dinner inside of a bar or restaurant is by no means a necessity. We also believe that many in our area are not ready to dine in a bar or restaurant. So those who have been following the stay at home order will most likely continue to do so. This leaves us with a small pool of customers who are less likely to be concerned about spreading the virus. This being the case, they are less likely to feel an obligation to follow safety protocols, putting us at further risk for infection.

The small minority who are calling for reopening should not negate our fears and our safety. We all wish for life to go back to normal; the reality is that we cannot. We need a new normal and for our representatives to help guide us to that new normal. We are moms, dads, husbands, wives and partners. We are sons, daughters and friends. The data so far shows that in other states where bars and restaurants have reopened there has been a significant spike in cases and  deaths.**** We fear that we are being forced back to work as “test subjects“ for the sake of the economy and that eventually, when the second wave takes place, businesses will be shut down again. So, once again, we ask that restaurants and bars stay closed for dine-in service until the pandemic is no longer a threat to public health. While this can mean a variety of things, for us this means that the number of cases is so low that the threat of community spread is extremely minimal. It is well within the power of the Board of Commissioners to execute this action. However, if they choose not to, we will bring our demands directly to the governor. And if workers are forced to work in these establishments, we ask that they receive hazard pay and a healthcare. COVID-19 has already taken so many lives around the world and we don’t want to be forced to go back to work in an industry that will inevitably contribute to that death toll.

*https://www.cnet.com/how-to/a-second-wave-of-coronavirus-when-it-could-come-how-long-it-could-last-and-more/
**https://www.businessinsider.com/riskiest-to-least-risky-activities-during-coronavirus-pandemic-ranked-2020-5?fbclid=IwAR0eeT9E72-VYLrJMTB4BdcsBr9gPQi9S61LACDxe8DyVt-W_Zab48pgGz0
***https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/05/19/air-conditioning-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR19r_fJeoO0axTUlXH46o0EnQnaq0rPdOWIgZhxTDtuGbW18kMfCJxXr5k
****https://birminghamwatch.org/alabama-breaks-covid-19-daily-record-adds-615-new-cases/?fbclid=IwAR14KrzOmCJEE6wpttuZIuyB1Rm611xAM4grqGpZdquA14SKZlLc4IV3q6ohttps://www.newsweek.com/wisconsin-sees-highest-single-day-rise-coronavirus-cases-days-after-supreme-court-struck-down-1505570?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR3K-aSRhf6n1A9PjI9cGxa0R_faVLcYVk5NrtfjpgGCbYTXuD_vF5FaTjU
https://www.newsweek.com/virginia-reports-highest-one-day-increase-coronavirus-cases-after-gov-ralph-northam-criticized-1506342?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR0T35jA91pJ0SbwdoHAd3uSc6Y_erU3nKJUYkuGm4AB-ZhKrrBQ4-nHj1k
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/19/858837518/maryland-reports-largest-rise-yet-in-coronavirus-cases-4-days-after-reopening?fbclid=IwAR2f3ntgOtWtMf3vGsoazxtnopCrPHBYfGzqmeUeUFuODaitDgcOvYKwEsg
https://www.newsweek.com/south-carolina-reports-highest-single-day-coronavirus-deaths-weeks-after-state-reopens-1507069?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR1x7AqbQK5FdcOd4pN3Du8uG0Bp23zgyP8uzgEkoTLtmBqTXbwUINt-kI8
https://whiterivernow.com/2020/05/28/state-sees-largest-single-day-increase-in-community-covid-19-cases/amp/?fbclid=IwAR2btJkXAQL2hb-MNzmw6k2IXjy7kFfKmQ1XlS5D_3f4mc2coBWPx0Fx37Y
https://www.keyc.com/2020/05/28/minnesota-officials-report-largest-single-day-increase-deaths-tied-covid-total-cases-near/?fbclid=IwAR0XUiHrYXdFiDH-H2PfsmKsHvso6h36LPHWYUspezT2tYOXMR74WSVZEGI
https://www.wcnc.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/nc-records-highest-one-day-covid-19-cases-reported-with-a-thousand-additional-case/275-41aa1cfd-7ffb-4e04-a715-cb440cc82db8?fbclid=IwAR1p8SWBH50Nm14fuXpE1-Q62wTQiaSTgIXkkaDTpLjpzLWYSsyL-foiz9Y
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