My Job Became Essential Overnight

Producer Jaime Chew follows several New York essential workers in the first week of May 2020 as they strive to support themselves and their community during the pandemic in My Job Became Essential Overnight. The video is made up of filmed footage and online interviews of the workers. As part of the Vice News “COVID-19 Diaries” series, workers share their main concerns about the pandemic, which include a desire for greater respect for their roles, and their struggles with increasing income disparity in the United States. Jessica Graham, a long-time truck driver, shares her hope that Americans have begun to understand the infrastructure and labor that supports modern society. Grocery store workers like Corey Holiday and Tish reveal how the pandemic helped them realize their importance, but also share disappointment at the lack of institutional recognition by way of increased wages or benefits. Social inequality is at the forefront, particularly in Chew’s depiction of Jeggi Elinzano, a volunteer at the South Brooklyn Mutual Aid organization which delivered food to families in crisis during the pandemic. Elinzano shares stories of undocumented families living in poverty because they have no access to institutional support after losing their jobs. Elinzano mentions that most undocumented migrants also do essential labor, while being ignored and even maligned by wider society because of their immigration status. Despite these financial difficulties, the workers see hope and possibility in their ability to work together and support each other. As Jessica Graham notes, “all we have is one another” (Chew 05:46). With these stories, Chew highlights the distance between essential workers’ labor and their ability to support themselves, asking why some of the most important members of society live in poverty, even despite public adulation over their work.