Discussions Begin on Determining Bonus Pay for Frontline Workers

Determining which frontline workers should be eligible for extra money based upon their efforts in addressing and coping with COVID-19 began in earnest Wednesday, July 28, with the first meeting of a special task force. The Frontline Workers Pay Working Group, which consists of six legislators and three agency commissioners, heard from professionals in medicine, nursing care, education and food service about the challenges they faced during the pandemic.

"Why should frontline workers be offered this bonus, so to say? Because they've done the work that most in our society would never consider doing," said Dan Colgan, Administrator of Redeemer Health Care Center. Danielle Salisbury, Campus Administrator at long-term care center EagleCrest, said that the number of vacant positions has nearly doubled in the past few months. "Frontline staff are stepping up, working extra shifts and forgoing the vacations we expected during these Minnesota summer months," she said.

The task force will recommend to the Governor and legislature ways to distribute $250 million among the frontline workers. According to Representative Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, about 900,000 workers could be classified as eligible, and as a result, the committee will need to decide if "we are going to spread it out more thinly or if we are going to narrow the scope or make some effort to add additional funds."