87% of additional California deaths in 2020 pandemic were workers, UC Merced report shows

The state’s essential laborers continued showing up to work throughout the pandemic. But for many, those low-wage jobs on the frontlines came at a high cost.

Deaths among Californians between ages 18 and 65 increased by 25% during the first ten months of the pandemic, with the state’s workers making up 12,500 of 14,370 additional deaths compared to the previous year — or 87% of additional deaths in 2020, according to an analysis of state public health data by the UC Merced Community and Labor Center.

“The pandemic has taken a terrible toll on these workers,” said Ruth Lopez, executive director of the Kings County-based nonprofit Valley Voices. She spoke during an event Wednesday evening in Hanford commemorating the lives of laborers who suffered an injury, got sick or died as a result of their jobs during the pandemic. “We cannot forget the sacrifices that they have made.”

While warehouse workers had the highest statewide increase in pandemic-related deaths between March and December 2020 — an increase of 334 additional deaths compared to the same period in 2019 — food-chain workers were most affected, UC Merced researchers found. Of the ten industries that experienced the highest pandemic-era increases in death, four were associated with the food chain.

Agricultural workers had the second-highest increase in deaths between 2019 and 2020 — 565 more deaths or a 47% increase. Food processing workers experienced an increase of 217 deaths — or 43% — compared with the previous year, while restaurant and food services workers experienced 1,060 excess deaths or an increase of 42%.

High-risk jobs dangerous even before the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the dangers essential workers face at jobs in the meatpacking, agricultural and manufacturing industries, Mai Thao, program director of the Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Central Labor Council, said at the Hanford event, which commemorated Workers’ Memorial Day.

“The Central Valley has always had high rates of worker injuries, illnesses and deaths because of the many high-risk industries like meat processing, agriculture, manufacturing and warehousing that have been core to our economy,” Thao said. “But within the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply and disproportionately impacted these high-risk industries, with many worksites initiating outbreaks and leading to deaths.”

The UC Merced researchers suggested several factors that put these essential workers at higher risk during the pandemic.

Many of the industries with the highest increases in pandemic-related deaths have traditionally employed migrant workers, they said. High-risk workers are more likely to live in larger households with multiple families under one roof, they said, and are more likely to earn lower wages and experience higher rates of poverty.

“Workers have been getting injured and dying on the job in high proportions in some industries for a long time now,” said Dr. Edward Flores, co-director of UC Merced’s Community and Labor Center, which authored the fact sheet published this week. “It’s unfortunate that it takes a global health and economic crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic to really illuminate the deficiencies that we have in public agencies that are supposed to serve in the regulatory capacity to protect workers.”

Advocates call for workplace protections

In response to the uptick in deaths, the organizers of Wednesday’s event are now calling on local and state elected leaders to enforce existing safety laws and pass new workplace protections. They say state and federal agencies need to step up enforcement, safety and health standards for workers.

“Workers’ Memorial Day is an opportunity for the community to come together, mourn and remember the lives lost, say the names of the workers taken away, and renew our resolve to call for public agencies and elected officials to serve communities and not merely the special interests of a few corporations that put profits over people and families,” said Naindeep Singh, executive director of the Jakara Movement, which advocates on behalf of the Punjabi Sikh community in the state.

In a statement released Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had implemented several emergency measures throughout the pandemic to better protect frontline workers. These include providing two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to certain food sector employees, offering temporary housing options for health care workers to help keep their families from getting sick and ensuring that workers have sufficient child care resources.

He also said Cal/OSHA posted infection prevention guidance to help employers comply with all COVID-19 health and safety requirements.

“Our state is at the forefront of workplace safety and has taken urgent action during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure front-line workers are taken care of in the workplace and at home,” Newsom said. “As California responds to and recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue our legacy of robust policies that protect the health and safety of our workforce. We are committed to listening to workers about what it takes to rebuild a fair, green and prosperous economy.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.