Sacramento, CA – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council applauded the Assembly Labor & Employment Committee’s passage of AB 2693 (Reyes), which would extend the sunset date for AB 685 (Reyes-2020), the COVID-19 Notification and Reporting Bill, until January 1, 2025. A highly contagious subvariant of omicron is already spreading in California, illustrating why the state must stay vigilant and maintain access to data needed to respond to emerging threats. The following statement may be attributed to Amber Baur, executive director, UFCW Western States Council:
“The next COVID-19 variant can show up at any time. We must be prepared to react immediately to stop the spread, and ensuring California’s workplaces keep tracking COVID-19 case data is essential to doing that.
“Essential workers have had a first-hand look at just how rapidly COVID-19 infections spread in California’s workplaces and how workers ultimately paid the price for these outbreaks with their health and lives. As California moves towards an endemic phase in the COVID-19 fight, AB 2693 is critical legislation that will help California effectively and efficiently focus its COVID-19 resources to best fight new variants.
“UFCW members across the state thank the Assembly Labor Committee for supporting this bill that makes sure COVID-19 workplace safety standards remain in place to protect workers.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2022
Contact: Jenna Thompson, 949.246.1620, [email protected]