Just as the year ends and the holidays approach, some Americans are receiving an additional stimulus check worth up to $600.
“Surprise stimulus” will only be available to eligible workers in a select range of industries, which were particularly affected both economically and physically by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The stimulus check encompasses a $700million program supporting farmworkers and meatpackers will include the $600 checks.
Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary, announced the relief program in September.
Workers who played an integral role in the pandemic will receive financial assistance, as well as workers who were often directly affected by the pandemic, such as those in grocery stores and factories.
Villsack, however, gave reporters a general overview of the plan during a conference call.
He explained that the new checks were “a reflection of the essential nature of the work (the workers) performed in the pandemic”.
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Rather than getting their checks from the Internal Revenue Service, employees can expect to get them from non-profit, state, and local government agencies.
The USDA plans to pay $700million to compensate employees who have incurred unanticipated costs, such as buying their own PPE and taking unpaid leaves.
About $20million of the funds will be allocated to grocery store workers, thanks to its provider, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
During the pandemic, the food and agriculture industries suffered tremendously, as people depended heavily on them to keep the country running.
COVID-19 has killed at least 132 meatpacking workers, and at least 22,000 have been exposed to the virus, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
About 80% of beef, pork, and poultry workers nationwide are represented by the association, and outbreaks in that sector have triggered mass infections.
“While the rest of America could work from home, these brave men and women continued to show up for work every single day to ensure that we all food on our tables that we could consume,” United Food and Commercial Workers President Marc Perrone said.
“Meatpacking plants experienced some of the most deadly COVID-19 outbreaks when the pandemic first came around and there were workers that are deserving of our help, and our thanks and our support.”