Grocery Store Workers Demand Action
Grocery store workers cannot work from home, and our work is essential to the health and safety of our communities. All over the world, when countries shut down, we remain on the job. Our customers need food and supplies, but right now many of us feel unsafe continuing to go to workplaces that are too crowded, understaffed, and not being adequately sanitized.
We did not sign up to be emergency first responders, but we have always understood how central our role is to community health and we are here, stepping up to the challenge every day. We are working long hours, and taking on extra risk for ourselves and our families, but we are not alone. Our community is with us, and we are calling on our employers and government to act immediately to protect us.
Grocery store workers demand improvement in all these areas:
SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Limit the number of people in a store at one time
Ensure 6 feet of distance between individuals, including during checkout (use tape or signage for customers to measure adequate spacing)
Shift to drive-up transactions as much as possible
CLEANLINESS & SANITATION
Clean and sanitize all areas of our stores regularly, with workers who perform cleaning and sanitizing given proper training, supplies, and safety equipment
Designate a full-time sanitation worker to continuously clean and sanitize the store
Close all self-service areas
Give workers frequent breaks to wash and sanitize their hands
PAY & BENEFITS
Paid leave when workers are quarantined or diagnosed with COVID-19, before having to access other forms of paid leave. ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
Ensure workers do not lose eligibility for medical coverage or lose vacation accrual while out on sick leave ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
Hazard pay for all grocery store workers during the crisis ✅ Safeway, Albertsons, Kroger, Fred Meyer, QFC, PCC
SAFETY & SECURITY
Work with UFCW 21 to hire more union workers to meet increased demand and reduce injury and stress ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
Ensure there is adequate security in stores at all times
Give all workers access to personal protective equipment such as gloves at work
TRANSPARENCY
Notify all workers of known COVID-19 exposure within 8 hours
Confirm with UFCW 21 when there is a positive test for COVID-19 in a store
Do not ask workers to keep exposures a secret
CHILDCARE
Support the expansion of state childcare resources to grocery store workers ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
Establish a childcare fund for grocery store workers
Give workers schedule flexibility to accommodate childcare needs ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
Allow the use of paid time off for childcare ✅ Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen
