The coronavirus pandemic called even more attention to the pressures dealt with by hourly workers. While many companies ceded sick pay to their employees during the crisis, concerns about valuing profits over safety have led many to speak up, like the recent union drive by Amazon workers in Alabama. "Last year was a big wake-up call for front-line workers and the necessity of having those people," McRitchie said. One example is the widening chasm between CEO and worker compensation. From 1978 to 2018, CEO compensation rose more than 1,000%, while wages for the typical worker grew just 11.9%, according to a 2019 report from the Economic Policy Institute.