Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
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Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#2After this catastrophe, I hope at the very least we have a national sick leave law. 1 week. For everyone. Period.
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#3Here's what they're asking for:
https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-retail-worker-sick...
-Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work.
-Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers.
-Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal.
-Guaranteed hazard pay in the form of double pay during our scheduled hours.
-Implementation of new policies that can facilitate social distancing between workers and customers.
-Commitment to ensuring that all locations have adequate sanitation equipment and procedures in place.
-Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19. In such an event, all workers should continue to receive full pay until the store can safely reopen.
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#4Wonder if grocery store workers will largely be forced to unionize and fall under similar terms as airline industry with regards to limitations on a strike. "Essential work"
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#5Here's what they're asking for: https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-retail-worker-sick... -Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work. -Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers. -Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal. -Guaranteed hazard pay in the fo…
I do not believe this to be unreasonable at all.
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#6I sympathize but wouldn't a strike be illegal during a crisis?
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#7I sympathize but wouldn't a strike be illegal during a crisis?
No? They're not drafted, you can't compel grocery store workers to work. It just turns out that we rely more than people thought on some of the least protected of our citizens, and this is a pretty good chance to have their voices be heard.
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#8Here's what they're asking for: https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-retail-worker-sick... -Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work. -Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers. -Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal. -Guaranteed hazard pay in the fo…
I generally have mixed feelings on unions, but overall these seem like pretty reasonable demands and it seems like a good thing for Whole Foods to do from a PR standpoint anyway. They would make me more confident if I were a Whole Foods shopper if nothing else.
The one thing that I can't help but question, just thinking in terms of microeconomics (which I'm fairly basic on), is this concept of hazard pay. I've heard that some places are increasing wages already. Doesn't this sort of account for the increased risk? Or to put it another way: If you got a 2x raise but they didn't call it "hazard pay", would you still demand hazard pay?
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#9Wonder if grocery store workers will largely be forced to unionize and fall under similar terms as airline industry with regards to limitations on a strike. "Essential work"
Aren't many grocery chains already unionized? I believe Safeway, Raleys / Nob Hill, and Albertsons are, at least.
Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'
#10Here's what they're asking for: https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-retail-worker-sick... -Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work. -Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers. -Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal. -Guaranteed hazard pay in the fo…
> -Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work.
This should be required by law of all employers.
> -Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19.
This seems like overkill. How about having all employees wear masks (not N95) and cleaning the store thoroughly if someone tests positive? Or do they mean a few-hour or one-day shutdown?