Front-Line Workers Receive Bonus Payments

States and localities are saying thank-you to front-line workers who were on the job during the height of the pandemic by providing them with bonus payments this year. Connecticut, Minnesota, New York state, Denver and Columbus, Ohio, are among the jurisdictions that have allocated "hero pay" to thousands of front-line workers recently. In June, California announced it will give $1,500 pandemic bonuses to state law enforcement officers and hospital workers.

Employers had to determine if they were a front-line-sector employer and, in some cases, comply with notice requirements related to the program.

"I haven't found employers having a lot of angst about complying," said Tanya Bovée, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Hartford, Conn. "The analogy is like trying to comply with the paid-sick-leave requirements. You have to know what they are and then what the different requirements are. There is definitely variety here in what's being provided and to whom."

Barbara Jean D'Aquila, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Minneapolis, added that "Hero-pay laws are generally enacted to provide financial remuneration to front-line-sector workers because the governmental bodies enacting them recognize the importance of the work provided by such workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when COVID-19 was a new experience for the country and businesses were scrambling to help provide critical products and services." 

Connecticut

Essential employees who worked in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic may receive up to $1,000 in bonus pay through a $30 million state fund. Workers at hospitals or other health care facilities, residential care facilities, funeral homes, cemeteries, schools, grocery stores, first responder units, and some manufacturing facilities are likely to qualify for the funds. They may qualify if they were on the job between March 10, 2020, and May 7, 2022, and unable to work from home.

State law prohibits Connecticut employers from disciplining, firing or discriminating against employees who filed an application for the bonus payment. Employers must not misinform or dissuade employees from filing an application for payment.

"There has been incredible enthusiasm for this program, with over 150,000 applications already received," Connecticut State Comptroller Natalie Braswell said. "These workers were on the front lines during the worst of the pandemic, making tremendous personal sacrifices on our behalf."

Minnesota

Minnesota enacted a law authorizing bonus payments to Minnesotans who worked in front-line sectors during the height of the pandemic. The state recently approved 1,025,655 applicants to receive $487.45 each.

The Minnesota law includes workers in health care, nursing homes, courts, prisons, schools, day care facilities, food manufacturing operations, restaurants, grocery stores, retail stores, hotels, public transit, and janitorial and facility maintenance services. "These workers put themselves in harm's way during a terrible time of uncertainty," Minnesota State Rep. Cedrick Frazier said.

"Long-term care workers who were short-staffed; nurses who were overworked; and school, postal and janitorial workers who kept working were the glue keeping our communities together," Gov. Tim Walz said. "Front-line workers are an important part of the fabric of our state and helped us continue functioning during the pandemic."

The state imposed some eligibility limits, so some workers were surprised they didn't qualify, D'Aquila said. "In Minnesota, the law covered only employees and not independent contractors, and even front-line-sector employees were not eligible unless they worked at least 120 hours during the requisite time period or had earnings below the pay limits," she explained.

New York

In New York, bonuses up to $3,000 will be awarded to health care and mental hygiene workers who earn less than $125,000 per year and remain in their jobs for at least six months.

"Throughout the pandemic, including the early days when many were hunkered down at home, our health care workers and first responders have shown up day after day to keep New Yorkers healthy and save lives," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "Health care workers are the foundation of our medical system, and we need to acknowledge the sacrifices they have made to bring us through these challenging times."

"These bonuses will help us reward and retain the dedicated health care professionals who have gone above and beyond to provide care for New Yorkers when they are most in need," New York Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said.