Volunteer State News

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Premier Parking, a nationwide parking and driving company, to lay off much of its workforce and the future is uncertain, a Nashville-based human resources official said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the parking industry," Jennifer Belk White, a human resources vice president who works out of Premier Parking's Nashville office, told Volunteer State News. "Parking is a foundational, fundamental support service for so many other industries, which have been devastated by this outbreak, including hotels, restaurants, and sports and concert venues, as well as commercial organizations whose offices are now closed."

The harsh economic reality wrought by the coronavirus in those industries has trickled down to support companies like Premier Parking.

"In the last two weeks of March we had to lay off more than 50 percent of our workforce, many of whom are financially fragile and live paycheck to paycheck," White said.

White said that the $2.2 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill, or CARES Act, passed by the U.S. House and Senate last month, will provide some relief to those furloughed employees - but she isn't sure it will be enough.

"I truly worry that some team members will struggle to survive in the time between their final check from Premier Parking and their first unemployment check," White said. "Because the hotels and other organizations that we support have shut down, many of our exemplary team members have lost their only source of income. Some of our laid-off employees are now struggling to pay for insulin prescriptions, or are having to choose between paying their rent and feeding their children."

The COVID-19 furloughs also were difficult for those company employees responsible for delivering the bad news to those who were let go.

"As an HR professional, I am heartbroken for these team members who, through no fault of their own, have had their lives turned upside down," White said. "Meanwhile, those of us who remain employed are working diligently to ensure that we have a company to which these laid off employees can return."

Which means sending out an unprecedented amount of paperwork related to the furloughs.

"We are also processing the hundreds of unemployment documents as quickly as we can, so that our employees are not further harmed by delays in getting funds," White said.

The company also is struggling to survive.  

Last week Premier Parking COO William Clay called for more help to start flowing to his industry that has been hard hit by the economic freefall wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are asking that the parking industry [NAICS 812930] be recognized as an industry in need of assistance, and we are asking for business interruption insurance to be granted to our company [and others like us] in this time of great need," Clay told Tennessee Business Daily.

Premier Parking employs 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.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was starkly illustrated last week when the U.S. Labor Department reported that a record-breaking 6.6 million workers signed up last week for unemployment benefits.

The majority of Premier Parking's workforce are in field operations, including valet drivers at hotels, also shut down by the crisis, and shuttle bus drivers for hotel employees who also have been largely furloughed.

"Through no fault of their own, their lives have been turned upside down, Clay said. "They lost a steady job with a reliable paycheck and are facing repercussions that may seem insurmountable for many."