The United Food and Commercial Workers, America’s largest food and retail union with 1.3 million members, sent a letter to retail and grocery CEOs of top U.S. retail and grocery companies, including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, and other –calling for immediate action to protect workers and customers amid the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant and the growing winter surge of virus infections.
According to UFCW internal reports, there have been at least 213 retail and grocery worker deaths, which is up 11 percent since June 2021, and at least 50,600 retail and grocery workers infected or exposed to the deadly virus, which is up 17 percent since June 2021.
In the letter, UFCW International President Marc Perrone urged CEOs to implement five key measures to address the growing challenges essential workers face:
Promote Mask Wearing. "To reduce transmissibility, we encourage you to promote mask wearing for all customers at all locations," the letter notes.
Free PPE to All Retail Workers: "To help protect workers, free access to personal protective equipment like masks and hand sanitizer must be provided while on the job," it states.
Re-establish Social Distancing: "Social distancing rules have been relaxed despite ongoing COVID risks. To protect workers, social distancing must be encouraged in all stores," according to UFCW.
Support Vaccination/Boosters for Workers: "Government mandates alone are not enough and more must be done to support vaccination of retail and grocery workers. Onsite vaccine clinics and paid sick leave should be provided to all workers to reduce barriers," the letter states.
Implement Inflation Wage Protection: "Exploding spikes in food prices is an added burden to many essential workers – especially those with families. CEOs must use record profit margins to increase worker pay and inflation worsens amid this new COVID surge," according to UFCW.
“America’s essential workers have had to contend with an ongoing deadly pandemic that has upended their daily lives as they have put their health and safety at risk every single day," said Perrone, in a statement. "For nearly two years, the threat of COVID-19 has persisted and evolved, even as many of America’ largest food and retail companies have relaxed their safety measures. With the new COVID-19 winter surge and emergence of the Omicron variant, it is critical for our nation’s largest retail and food employers – including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, and Whole Foods – to take immediate steps to protect essential workers and members of the public during this holiday season."
Related: Restaurants Cope With Shortfalls of Packaging, Specialty Ingredients; Kroger Adds Customer Fulfillment Center.
Image: UFCW