'It's like we are just a piece of garbage': Laid-off Philly workers face life without health

[TexasTowelie]

‘It’s like we are just a piece of garbage’: Laid-off Philly workers face life without health insurance


Days after Mayor Jim Kenney issued a sweeping order requiring most Philadelphia businesses to shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Phyllis Davis found out she was losing her job.

Davis, 52, a concierge supervisor at the Hampton Inn near the Convention Center, was devastated. She had given her whole life to Hersha Hospitality Management, which owns the inn, working almost all the roles during her 23 years with the company: housekeeper, bell clerk, front desk, breakfast bar.

But a few weeks later, after reading her layoff letter closely, she realized her situation was even worse than she had thought. Hersha had cut her health insurance on the same day she was laid off.

“We’re losing our jobs," Davis said. "That’s a big thing. And to turn around and you can’t go to the clinic because you don’t have health insurance? It’s just like we’re a piece of garbage. They just threw us to the curb.”

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/jobs/labor/coronavirus-layoffs-health-insurance-hourly-workers-philadelphia-20200402.html