Labor Groups Ask Gov. Newsom to Enact Emergency COVID-19 Presumptions

California worker advocates are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to create an emergency presumption stating that COVID-19 is compensable for essential employees who continue to work face-to-face with the public during the pandemic, according to a letter sent last month. The California Labor Federation on March 19 sent a letter to Newsom’s office expressing concern over workers’ safety and requesting a workers’ compensation presumption that exposure to the coronavirus counts as job-related for essential employees. The letter was sent the same day the governor ordered all nonessential...