The pandemic has forced companies around the globe to adapt their business models. Due to public health concerns and lockdowns, many companies had to lay off or furlough workers. In Germany, Kurzarbeit policies softened the economic blow.
On March 16 the American Council on Germany and 1014 hosted a discussion about how trade unions are coping with the impact of Covid-19 with Reiner Hoffmann, the Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or DGB), and John E. Shinn, International Secretary and Treasurer of the United Steelworkers.