Hello world. You probably don’t know me, but you’ve seen me in the news a lot lately. You see, over the last few weeks, my job as an employee of Big Box Brand Grocers has gone from being simply a job to something More. I’ve been called a hero by people I don’t know, people have clapped and saluted me as I restock the toilet paper, but above all people have said ‘Thank you’ to me more than ever. It’s bizarre. These same people would look right past me just a month ago as they tried to grab the Oat Milk I was stocking. Now, they can’t help but give their gratitude.

So please, hear me loud and clear when I say this – Please don’t call me a hero. Just give me health insurance.

I say this because it seems like most people are forgetting that to me and my coworkers, this is just a job. Sure, I love Big Box Brand Grocers as much as the next person, but I never thought that this job would put me on the front lines of a pandemic response. Plus, we don’t even get paid sick leave, much less a good health insurance plan. What do you think is going to happen if I get sick?

Do you think that we don’t have families we are worried about? Do you think you are unique in that regard?

So, if you truly believe that me and my coworkers are essential, heroic individuals, please treat us that way. Support candidates who will give us health insurance regardless of if we lose our job or not. Push for policies that will make sure we can all stay safe and at home when we need to, rather than trying to continue working just to put food on the table. Protect us so we can get you what you need.

Do all of that and we can talk about who is truly heroic and deserves our thanks. Until then, your words are as empty as the paper products aisle.

Oh yeah, and if we don’t get what we want, trust me when I say that we will simply stop asking. The people who support your lifestyle and allow you to live in comfort are all around you and we significantly outnumber you. Do you really want all of us to be broke, hungry, and unemployed?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.