Heroes Work Here
More and more corporate nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and skilled nursing facilities are displaying signs and/or banners proclaiming “Heroes Work Here”. At first glance, it seemed a nice gesture on the part of the corporate ownership to thank their workers. As more and more cropped up, it began to see more like a competition as to which healthcare facility had the biggest, best, colorful way to declare appreciation for their workers. These signs aren’t referring to doctors and nurses, who have faced exposure to a debilitating deadly illnesses each day they show up for work. They are no strangers to crazy long hours, and were have spent years studying the diseases they would be treating and the dangers that accompanied them. For those working in the facilities in person, instead of chatting over the phone, the Coronavirus is just another risky day at the office. They have been heroes since their first day at work, and are compensated with at least a living wage for their service and the risks they have been facing every day.
The signs are addressing the public, as I mentioned above, but they are also addressing the other workers in the facilities who didn’t sign up for this. This CNA’s, janitors, dishwashers, cooks, and other employees who are at work, not because they are heroes, but because of economic necessity.
Unlike those further up the corporate food chain, can’t they can’t use Zoom to empty a bedpan or mop a floor. They are the ones working while we are all told to shelter in place. Doing their jobs, surrounded by droplets, wearing either a mask made by Aunt Thelma from an old scarf and a Swiffer refill, or a surgeon’s mask. Despite the impressive sounding name, surgeon’s masks are made to protect the patient’s incision from the surgeon’s droplets. Not the other way around. So while the surgeon’s mask protects others, there is little protection for the wearer.
These workers are from the majority of Americans working paycheck to paycheck, on an substandard wage, and can’t afford the luxury of sitting this one out. Not out of heroism, but out of necessity.
If they don’t work, their families don’t eat.
So why the “Heroes Work Here” signs? A marketing ploy to link heroes to their facilities, in an attempt to brand heroes with their corporate logo. “Hey look at us! See how much we appreciate our workers!” It’s a bit sleazy, using a pandemic as a marketing strategy. Sleazy, perhaps, but we are already immersed in incessant advertising, so who cares? Just another day immersed in marketing.
In addition, these banners serve another, more insidious purpose: the time tested trick of giving employees a better sounding title instead of a raise. “Congratulations! Your work is appreciated, so we are promoting you to Hero. There will be additional responsibilities, more paperwork, set of protocols in dealing with your patients, which entails more effort. Oh, and there’s a chance you’ll be exposed to a deadly virus, and a chance you’ll take it home to your families. But hey. You’re heroes, remember? It says so in front of our facility!
Here are some numbers to consider. The first table lists the poverty guidelines, in order of family members in the household.
Now before moving on, to the the salaries of those working in these facilities, take a moment to look at the list again, and imagine what your life and your family would fare with that level of income,
Skilled Nursing Facilities Mean Salaries from the
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- General Internal Medicine Physician: $200,310
- CEO: $172,060
- General and Operations Manager: $114,120
- Registered Nurses: $69,740
Here are the heroes working at these facilities, who get banners instead of raises for risking their lives to survive:
- Nursing Assistants: $29,420
- Janitors: $27,500
Banners and signs have become quite common. Drove by a large regional grocery store today, where “Heroes at Work” banner was affixed to upside down shopping carts in front. Who would have thought that the person bagging groceries, stocking the potato chips, and chasing shopping carts are heroes, too. Risking their lives so somebody without a mask can come in and get a six pack and a bag of chips.
We don’t need to consult the US Department of Labor Statistics for an estimate of what they make. But, the grocery, not satisfied with paying their employees substandard wages year ‘round, they blithely put them at unnecessary risk in the midst of a pandemic.
I’m not arguing that groceries are not an essential business. The problem is shopping list can easily be emailed, submitted from an app, or other electronic means, and drive by for pickup droplet free. I would imagine the corporation values their own greed over the safety of their employees and customers.
I had to wait to take this photo, as two workers were pushing a shopping cart train into the store. Neither was wearing a mask, and were pushing the carts bare handed. So on top of unnecessarily exposing their workers, the regional chain has no policy in place requiring masks, nor gloves when holding shopping cart handles which are the recipients of sneezes, runny noses, and god knows what else. Too bad their feeble income can’t cover health insurance.
But hey. They’re heroes, right?
