Austin News

For furloughed Premier Parking employee Shane Williams, the COVID-19 pandemic is not simply a global health crisis that threw him out of work. It also has exacerbated a personal tragedy in his family.

"The COVID-19 pandemic caused many layoffs within my company due to the lack of business with the stay-at-home orders set in place by the government," the Austin resident said. "This directly affected my ability to support my grandmother in a time of tragedy and loss as my grandfather passed away recently due to health issues not related to the coronavirus."

Grief over the loss of his job and his grandfather is made all the harder to bear because he can't support his grandmother beyond providing an understanding ear and a shoulder the cry on, Williams said.

"The cost of treatment and the funeral have taken a toll on her and my other family members that are still able to help financially, while I am now unemployed and left with a feeling helplessness when I should be able to be supportive," he said.

Premier Parking's future also is far from certain. In late March, after the company's nationwide furloughs started, a Premier Parking official described to a Tennessee news outlet the company's wobbly position and called for government assistance.

Before the pandemic, Premier Parking employed more than 2,000 associates in more than 600 locations in more than 40 cities across the nation, providing services at concerts, sports and other events.

Those events were postponed or canceled, drying up Premier Parking's business as the company's potential customers are largely stuck at home waiting out the crisis. Few to no customers left Premier Parking with no choice but to furlough of hundreds of its employees. These workers are among millions laid off in the U.S. because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Non-farm payroll employment fell by 701,000 in March alone, with leisure and hospitality jobs falling by 459,000, according to a report at the time issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

Williams said he hopes government will continue to assist the nation in this time of crisis.

"My hope would be that the government is able to financially support the businesses most affected by this pandemic in order to restore the jobs to the individuals that were laid off during this hard time in our country," he said.