In the spring, cheers, claps and clanging pots and pans rung out every night in cities at 7 p.m. in a show of thanks for essential workers.
The label not only described doctors and nurses tending to Covid-19 patients, but also the multitude of low-wage workers — ranging from restaurant dishwashers to grocery store cashiers — who supplied much-needed services to the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gratitude toward essential workers also extended to new paid sick-leave policies for hourly workers in the early days of lockdowns, as the majority of white-collar America worked from home. Some hourly workers also received pay bumps or quarterly bonuses.
