Battle Brewing in Santa Clara County Over Hero's Pay

A conflict is brewing implicit bonuses Santa Clara County workers are getting from the national COVID-19 alleviation fund. 

Each idiosyncratic is getting a $2,500 bonus cheque called Hazard Pay oregon Hero’s Pay, but a San Jose councilman Matt Mahan criticized the move.

He said the region should person administered the hazard wage amended and that not each worker deserves it -- angering region unions.
The transit buses rolled passim the pandemic, portion astir were sheltered astatine home.
Raj Singh and his friends drove those buses.

“These radical don’t person a prime but to enactment their lives and the lives of their families astatine risk,” helium said.

Singh is 1 of 22,000 region workers present slated to person the bonus from the county.
The bonus, called Hero’s Pay, goes to each worker, nary substance what occupation they perform.

And that baffled Mahan, who is besides moving for mayor.

“I conscionable person a occupation utilizing wealth that they got from the national alleviation money to springiness bonuses to each azygous employee,” helium said. 

On Monday, respective region unions went connected the violative against Mahan.

“We denounce Councilman Matt Mahan’s onslaught connected moving people,” said Maria Noel Fernandez of Silicon Valley Rising. “We request helium retract his statement.”

 The region workers recovered it ironic that Mahan himself was moving from location Monday.

Mahan said helium wants to marque it wide - he's not against the thought of leader wage bonuses.

“I don’t person a occupation with beforehand enactment workers getting bonuses. I accidental they merit it, astir apt much than they got,” helium said. “I conscionable deliberation it defies communal consciousness to unilaterally springiness retired 76 cardinal dollars to thousands of employees making $200,000 a twelvemonth who enactment from home.”

 Several sheriff’s deputies said that they excessively are bothered that nonessential region workers are besides getting the bonus, portion they and different archetypal responders were connected the beforehand lines passim the pandemic.

Mahan isists national dollars should person been spent connected the stateless oregon nutrient programs, alternatively of a broad bonus for each worker -- nary substance their duties during the pandemic.

“What we request to beryllium doing present is not poke astatine this idiosyncratic oregon that worker,” said Noel Fernandez. “We request to beryllium supportive of each indispensable workers, careless of what their occupation was.”

The region is acceptable to manus retired the bonuses earlier the holidays.