Teamsters like Jeff Schellhase and Keith Wagner (photo) at the King County Public Health warehouse in Seattle are handling huge volumes of PPE inventory.

Jeff Schellhase has never been busier. He's been busting his tail, 11-12 hours a day, on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

At the King County Public Health warehouse where they work, Jeff and his Teamster co-workers house and haul medical supplies to pharmacies, healthcare and long-term care facilities. Since the coronavirus outbreak took hold in our region, the volume has been immense. 

"Our work now is more important than ever."

"We're breaking down tons of PPE that has been shipped here and transporting it out as fast as we can," he says. "This includes masks, gloves, gowns - all of the protective gear needed to keep our caregivers safe."

Part of Jeff's job entails picking up COVID-19 lab work and running it over to the state lab for testing. As testing picks up, he'll be called on to do more.

All across the country, Teamsters like Jeff are stepping up to respond to this crisis. As essential personnel, they can't work from home, which puts them at a greater risk of infection. 

"Our work now is more important than ever," Jeff says. "People are running out of PPE. They don't have gloves, they don't have masks, and they're having to wrap themselves up in garbage bags. We need to all work together to get them the supplies they need."