Keller @ Large: Mass. AFL-CIO President Says Coronavirus Job Loss 'More Than We've Ever Seen In Our Lifetime'
BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman said the number of people in the state who have lost their job due to the coronavirus pandemic is "more than we've ever seen in our lifetime."
Mass. AFL-CIO includes about 400,000 members from more than 700 unions.
Tolman discussed the impact of coronavirus on workers in the state with WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller.
"It's more than we've ever seen in our lifetime. The heartache and struggles of so many workers," Tolman said. "Boston's an entertainment town. There are no plays, there's no concerts. The backup people for them - the stagehands, the sound people - they were the first to go and they're going to be the last coming back."
Keller @ Large: Part 2
Keller also asked Tolman if he would feel comfortable sending children back to classrooms this fall, a topic weighing on many parents' minds.
"This is a real worry," Tolman said. "It all comes down to, if we're going to go back to school, we have to have safety protocols … We need to have safety protocols unmatched in order to stem the tide of an epidemic," Tolman said.
When asked if he believed that's happening, Tolman said "I'm not sure that it is."