Trump's opponent Biden makes impassioned pitch for Covid frontline workers; seeks pay rise

Former United States Vice President and Trump's 2020 election opponent Joe Biden on Wednesday extended his gratitude towards the frontline warriors who are fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Listing all the essential workers, including medical professionals and the police, Biden thanked each of them and regarded them as 'the heart and soul of the country'.

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Biden calls for premium pay for frontline workers

Earlier on Monday, Joe Biden called for extra premium pay for the nation's essential workers, from healthcare employees to those who work in grocery stores and meatpacking plants. Biden made the call during a LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) video town hall on protecting essential workers.

The US presidential elections candidate said, "nursing homes and meatpacking plants are the most dangerous places there are right now." And he said those who work in those facilities deserve a safe working place and fair pay.

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"They designate them as essential workers, then treat them as disposable. It's quite frankly, inhumane and downright immoral," Biden said. He proposed a $13/per hour minimum additional pay raise for frontline workers, including meatpackers. In addition to the premium pay, Biden called for free regular and enhanced COVID testing for meatpacking and other essential workers as well as proper protective gear and paid sick leave.

In a report Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 4,900 workers at meat and poultry processing facilities have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, 20 of whom have died.

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