US election: Losing your job

Available for over a year

Our conversations reflect the impact Covid-19 has had on the US economy and on people’s jobs and wellbeing. We introduce a cook in northern California and a PBX switchboard operator in Massachusetts. They both lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet and pay the bills. They talk about how they feel forgotten, how the social system isn’t working for them, and how the main presidential candidates are not talking to them. And we bring a conversation between three flight attendants, who all lost their jobs after an economic relief plan in Congress stalled. They are all trying career changes but it’s not easy. They also share experiences of how passengers’ attitudes changed amid the pandemic, around issues such as wearing a face covering. One of them, Breaunna Ross, posted a video of her emotional farewell to passengers on her final flight, which has been viewed more than two million times on YouTube. (Photo: Flight attendant Breaunna Ross. Credit: Breaunna Ross)