Beck and Voorhies announce town hall to address current matters facing Hoosier workforce

INDIANAPOLIS – State Representative Lisa Beck (D-Lakes of the Four Seasons) and AFL-CIO President Brett Voorhies today announced that they are partnering in a town hall streamed via Facebook live on July 20 at 6 p.m. (EST).

Co-hosts Beck and Voorhies will be joined by Indianapolis Attorney Neil E. Gath and Indiana State Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Director Pete Rimsans. Gath specializes in employment and labor law, representing clients like the AFL-CIO. Rimsans is a business development professional with a workforce development background in the construction industry and has a strong knowledge of state and federal labor laws. 

The panel will be discussing various issues currently affecting working families: Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act; unemployment and pandemic insurance benefits; changes to the Payroll Protection Program (PPP); and the passing of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act and the potential for hazard pay.

Following stay-at-home orders issued to stop the spread of COVID-19, Indiana was one of 43 states that saw record high unemployment with a rate of 17.5 percent in April. As Hoosiers began returning to work the unemployment rate dropped to 12.3 percent in May, while the U.S. unemployment rate stood at 13.3 percent. Certain regions like Northwest Indiana remain at 15 percent unemployment. The virus has killed more than 130,000 Americans thus far.

The live stream can be found at https://www.facebook.com/INAFLCIO.  Please submit questions prior to the event to [email protected].