Coronavirus and Jobs

 
 
 

Vocabulary

alter	claim (2)	lay off/laid off/laid off
seat	record (3)	operation (2)
fill	touch (2)	entertainment
group	staff (2)	unemployed
line (2)	crater (2)	unbelievable
worry	heart (2)	go/went/gone (2)
to-go	drunken	sleep/slept/slept
crab	honest	heart attack
choice	pay stub	hemorrhage (2)
forced	evaluate	think/thought/thought
aspect	honey (2)	feel/felt/felt
scared	on my way	tell/told/told
tip (3)	sign (3)	know/knew/known
last (2)	iceberg	lose/lost/lost
react	horrible	simultaneously
way	support	hit/hit/hit (3)
fire (3)	tight (2)	pretty much
file (2)	bartender	tsunami (2)
prep	predict	lose/lost/lost
hole	get through	dig/dug/dug (2)
rent	concerned	tip of the iceberg

 
 
 
 
 

Video: Coronavirus and Lay Offs

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Jay Bocken, Restaurant General Manager laid off this month: “It’s just been a completely life-altering experience from start to finish. And within a week . . . I mean this is unbelievable.”

A record number of newly unemployed Americans, as the virus leave no business untouched.

Josh Souder, Director of Operations, I.E. Entertainment Group: “We would have all the seats filled.”
Journalist: “It would be a line out the door?”

3.3 million filed jobless claims last week; coronavirus cratering businesses.

Josh Souder, Director of Operations, I.E. Entertainment Group: “We went from being a restaurant business to basically running a to-go businesses. I haven’t slept. I’m worried about having a heart-attack, to be perfectly honest with you.”

With no diners, the Drunken Crab is hemorrhaging thousands of dollars a day. Every business, every industry re-evaluating under this economic tsunami.

Josh Souder already forced to make that hard choice.

Josh Souder, Director of Operations, I.E. Entertainment Group: “I had to — I was forced to lay off seventy-five people. At first you’re thinking about them; I feel horrible for them. And then they have to go home and tell their family, ‘I just got laid off’.”

Jay Bocken, Restaurant General Manager laid off this month: “I called my wife over the phone, and said, ‘Honey, I’m on my way home.’ And she pretty much already knew.”

Laid off from the Drunken Crab, former general manager Jay Bocken immediately filed for unemployment.

And it’s just the tip of the iceberg, say economist, predicting that by summer, fourteen million workers will lost their jobs, due to the coronavirus shock.

Jay Bocken, Restaurant General Manager laid off this month: “We’re talking about thousand and thousands of people looking for work simultaneously.

It’s going to hit every aspect of life. And the government needs to react and help us get through this. It’s the only way it’s going to work.

People are not going to be able to support their families, for more than two months.”
And already, signs that money is getting tight. Outside this West Hollywood bar, employees only, a line. Inside the small staff preps meals. Free meals for workers who show a pay stub, like bar-tender Jerry Courtney Austin.

Jerry Courtney Austin, Bartender laid off this month: “All of us immediately lost their jobs, as of Monday or Tuesday.”
Journalist: “Are you worried about how long this is going to last?”
Jerry Courtney Austin, Laid Off Bartender: “One-hundred percent. Yeah. If it goes on months, I don’t think any of us knows what we are going to do.”

Tom Sopit, Restaurant Owner: “The moment this happened, we’re going to dig ourselves in a hole regardless.
Journalist: “Are you scared?”
Tom Sopit, Restaurant Owner: “ . . . . I’m concerned.”

Restaurant owner Tom Sopit’s rent is a thousand dollars per day. He doesn’t want to fire anyone. But this is a new reality he will have to face.

Tom Sopit, Restaurant Owner: “ . . . . All we can do is help each other.”

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

 

Questions

1. The lives of these people have changed completely and dramatically. True or false?

2. “We went from being a restaurant business to basically running a to-go businesses.” What does this mean?

3. Have all restaurant employees continued working? Is their situation only devastating for themselves?

4. Only a few people working in restaurants, cafes and bar will become unemployed. Is this right or wrong?

5. Do employers and laid off employees experience stress and anxiety?

6. Everyone in the report faces financial difficulties, if not disasters. Is this correct or incorrect?

7. How can this situation be resolved, according to the interviewees?

 

A. I know people who have been adversely affected by the coronavirus. Yes or no?

B. What is the situation in your town or city?

C. How do people feel about the situation?

D. Are there any people who are “profiting” or “doing well” as a result of the epidemic?

E. What might happen in the future?

F. What should people and governments do?