Unions Call for Grocery Store Workers to be Recognized as First Responders

Grocery store unions want grocery store workers designated as front line workers during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Given the significant daily risk these workers face … we are requesting our nation’s leaders to assign a temporary designation of first responder or emergency personnel status for all grocery workers,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International President Marc Perrone said in a prepared statement earlier this month.

Supermarket chains in recent weeks began stepping up their safety measures, installing plexiglass shields at cash registers, limiting the number of shoppers allowed inside and checking workers’ temperatures.

At least 30 grocery store workers have died from COVID-19 so far, and at least 3,000 have had symptoms or have been exposed to the virus, according to the UFCW, which represents 1.3 million people.

The numbers could be higher as some workers at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are not in that union.

Locally, a South Pasadena Trader Joe’s was forced to shut down after several employees contracted the virus. Meanwhile, Food 4 Less on Lake Avenue was also forced to take extra precautions after an employee tested positive.

“Police and doctors are on the front line because of the service they provide,” said one employee at a local hospital did not wish to be named. “I’m not saying we do what they do, but what we do is pretty important.”

Many of the employees at grocery stores are black and brown employees who are at greater risk of catching the virus, according to statistics.

A study released by the Shift Project at the University of California, Berkeley, which collects and analyzes data on worker conditions, surveyed 30,000 hourly workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, and other frontline occupations in the US, and found that only 8 percent of them could take off at least 14 days.

UFCW emphasized that the health of grocery store workers impacts the health of shoppers. If grocery store workers remain highly exposed to the coronavirus, so does the general public.

Stores have continued to pay employees an extra $2 an hour in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement by Stater Bros. last week, employees will receive the increase through May 17.

“The Stater Bros. ‘Family’ has always been dedicated to serving our community,” said Stater Bros. CEO Pete Van Helden, in a prepared statement. “Nowhere is this more apparent than in the extraordinary efforts of our employees, who continue stepping up to ensure that service to our valued customers remains uninterrupted. We are proud of their commitment to our customers and communities.”

State Bros. is among several companies that have announced they will increase wages during the pandemic.

Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Costco, Sprouts and Kroger have offered bonuses or temporary raises to employees working during the pandemic. Safeway boosted wages by $2 per hour, and several independent grocers offered raises of up to $6 or $7 per hour, according to United Food and Commercial Workers, a national union representing grocery and other retail workers.

Target’s corporate officials said Friday that it would extend its $2 an hour increase through May 20. Target’s 20,000 store team leads will receive bonuses up to $1,500 in April.

“We have deep gratitude for the remarkable effort our team has put into supporting guests across the country. We remain committed to prioritizing our efforts to provide for their well-being so they can take care of themselves and their families during this unprecedented time,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO of Target Corporation in a prepared statement.

The retailer is paying bonuses of $250 to $1,500 to 20,000 hourly employees who oversee store departments.