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Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

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Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#51

Post by downerending »

elicash wrote: post #3

Here'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 hazard pay in the form of double pay during our scheduled hours.

I too would like to double my pay. :-)

I'm not entirely unsympathetic, but I've worked far more dangerous jobs for a lot less money.

Beyond that, what's up with the writing? "Guaranteed" hazard pay? As opposed to "un-guaranteed"? What does that even mean? Guaranteed by whom? And "during our scheduled hours"? ??

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#52

Post by elicash »

usaphp wrote: post #23
m0zg wrote: post #19

I don't understand. WF charges 2-3x as much as a "regular" grocery store and prides itself on "ethics" and "sustainability". Why are we even having this discussion? Why aren't those employees fairly compensated and protected?

Where do these “2-3x as much” figures come from? Their prices are not much different from Vons in my experience, they just sell a lot of premium items they you won’t find in your local vons - but for stuff you find in a regular supermarket - they charge around the same. And their 365 products sometimes are even cheaper than non organic alternatives

Not person you're responding to, but I think it's fair to say that they sell pricier products - in some cases, yes, even 2-3x, than where some get their groceries. My parents do a lot of their shopping at dollar stores and they're just far less expensive.

But of course you're comparing here different products of the same "type," a box of cereal versus an entirely different box of cereal by an entirely different manufacturer, so I think they were misleading without that context. Also, pricier products doesn't necessarily mean bigger margins.

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#53

Post by fart_ratty »

eropple wrote: post #7
amelius wrote: post #6

I 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.

Something like Eisenhower did with the steel workers could happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_strike_of_1959#Invocatio...

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#55

Post by alistairSH »

diob wrote: post #30
nn35 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19. This seems likely to shut down the majority of Whole Foods stores in short order. An unreasonable request, IMO. Grocery stores are genuinely essential to society and the death rate for I do think high-risk employees should basically be allowed to stay home, though.

If they're essential to society, do you support free medical care for all the employees who get sick during this time? Do you support paying for the ongoing costs of an employee that suffers the rest of their life due to complications or after effects from COVID-19?

Yes. As should everybody else. Lack of health care access in the US is shameful.

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#56

Post by alistairSH »

downerending wrote: post #51
elicash wrote: post #3

Here'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 hazard pay in the form of double pay during our scheduled hours. I too would like to double my pay. :-) I'm not entirely unsympathetic, but I've worked far more dangerous jobs for a lot less money. Beyond that, what's up with the writing? "Guaranteed" hazard pay? As opposed to "un-guaranteed"? What does that even mean? Guaranteed by whom? And "during our scheduled hours"? ??

Maybe they mean paid each pay cycle. Vs a promise for a lump sum at the end of the pandemic.

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#57

Post by alistairSH »

NovemberWhiskey wrote: post #21
elicash wrote: post #3

Here'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. Does anyone have any idea how they're supposed to operate their business if they have to pay workers who don't work? I mean, they would have to hire replacement workers - who also don't need to come to work? Or are the replacement workers supposed to be second-class vs. the original workers?

The same way any other employer is able to offer PTO? It should just be a cost of doing business (and is in much of Europe).

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#58

Post by amelius »

eropple wrote: post #7
amelius wrote: post #6

I 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.

> you can't compel grocery store workers to work

No but organizing to not work as a group is something else.

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#59

Post by leetcrew »

orblivion wrote: post #8
elicash wrote: post #3

Here'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…

I don't think "hazard pay" has any legally defined meaning in the US. it might imply that they are only demanding the 2x pay for the duration of the crisis.

Re: Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out'

#60

Post by knodi123 »

elicash wrote: post #25
nn35 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19. This seems likely to shut down the majority of Whole Foods stores in short order. An unreasonable request, IMO. Grocery stores are genuinely essential to society and the death rate for I do think high-risk employees should basically be allowed to stay home, though.

I'd bet that if Amazon agreed to all demands but that one that the workers who organized this would be ECSTATIC. There should be negotiation, back-and-forth. What's frustrating, as somebody not affiliated with the organizing here but has been in similar circumstances, is when the company won't even come to the table to bargain.

> I'd bet that if Amazon agreed to all demands but that one that the workers who organized this would be ECSTATIC.

Yeah, except item 1 is "Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work."

I imagine that if Amazon agreed to that one demand, the workers would be ECSTATIC, because it allows them to get paid whether or not they decide to keep coming to work.

I'm not diminishing the seriousness of the pandemic or saying people don't deserve sick leave or allowances for quarantine- but offering unrestricted full pay to everyone who chooses not to come to work is madness. Why would the employees care if the store gets shut down - they can simply stay home. Why would the employees care about sanitation? They can simply stay home. Etc etc etc.

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