COVID-19 And The Gig Economy; 'These Folks Need Money'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It will not be days but weeks.
Governor JB Pritzker said on Thursday that Illinois, like every other state, are building systems to allocate that money.
But with each passing day, it's putting the squeeze on gig workers. CBS 2's Chris Tye has the story.
From Sinatra to Elvis to the Rat Pack, Mike Valentine and the Heartbeats serve as the soundtrack to South Siders of a certain age, booking over 100 gigs a year.
"It's going to be a domino effect, it's going to be awhile for musicians to go back to work," Valentine said.
Work for him means standing performances at Fox's in Mokena. But as gigs get scrapped and venue doors remain closed, he's opening up plans to re-design his garage set-up and making sure the voice stays crisp until the cash rolls back in.
The feds hit the right note for Mike and thousands in the gig economy offering stimulus dollars. But a red font on the state website is the red tape that stops stimulus cold.
"This portion of the benefits expansion package has not yet been implemented" reads the Illinois Department of Employment Security site.
"Further details about the program, how to apply, and eligibility requirements will be made as soon as they have been finalized at ides.illinois.gov."
"The state has been remiss in setting this up," Valentine said, who admitted he didn't know why.
So CBS 2 took Mike's questions directly to the top:
"Almost no state has this available to them because you have to build a system. It's not something you add on to existing systems. We've hired the necessary personnel, we've hired the outside provider to build the system for us. And it will be up in coming weeks," said Governor JB Pritzker.
Timing. Crucial in music and in government. And when it's not there, the head of the Heartbeats will tell you, you're left to scramble.
"These folks need to get some money so they can pay their bills. And the unfortunately the state hasn't let that happen yet," Valentine said.
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