COVID Vaccine Information for UFCW 21 Members

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Many UFCW 21 members have already been vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. Many other members have questions about eligibility, how to find accurate vaccine information, and what we can do as a union to advocate for our right to vaccine access. Here’s the basics: 

ELIGIBILITY

NEW April 15, 2021: Everyone in Washington State who is 16 years or older is now eligible for the vaccines that protect against COVID-19. The vaccine is free, does not require a co-pay or insurance, and can protect you and your loved ones from catching and spreading COVID-19.

GETTING VACCINATED

There are multiple options for people seeking vaccines in Washington State. UFCW 21 is working closely with partners at the city, county, and state level, along with our employers and our health care trust, to make free vaccines accessible to all members as quickly as possible. Here are the main ways you can get vaccinated right now:

  1. Through your union: Speak with your Union Rep for information about vaccine appointments available to you through the union. We have held vaccination events at our union hall, and are working with partners across the state to make appointments available to UFCW 21 members at pop-up vaccination clinics, mass vaccination sites, and in our workplaces so members can access vaccines at convenient locations and times. If you have questions or need help, you can also contact us by email at vaccine@ufcw21.org.

  2. Through your employer: Your employer may be able to vaccinate staff at work, either through a pharmacy or clinic in the workplace or a vaccination event on-site. We have worked with many employers to ensure that everyone gets access. If your employer is vaccinating people at work and you have any questions or concerns about the process, contact your Union Rep.

  3. Through a city, county, or state-run mass vaccination site:

  4. Through a vaccine provider near you: Anyone who is eligible for a COVID vaccine can make an appointment at a provider in your area. This tool collects all available vaccine appointments in one place:

Need Help?

UFCW 21 members on the Sound Health & Wellness Trust can contact our Guardian Nurse service for assistance making COVID vaccine appointments by calling (877) 362-9969 and selecting option 2 (8am - 5pm).

You can also contact your Union Rep (just call our main office at 1-800-732-1188 to be connected to your Union Rep) or email vaccine@ufcw21.org.

KING COUNTY: Anyone who lives or works anywhere in Seattle or King County can call the Seattle Customer Service Line at 206-684-2489 from Monday through Saturday, between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. for assistance. In-language assistance is available over the phone.

STATEWIDE: Call the state COVID hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. You can request help making a vaccine appointment.

VACCINE INFORMATION 

There are three approved vaccines for COVID-19: one made by the company Pfizer (sometimes called the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine), one by the company Moderna, and one made by the company Johnson & Johnson (sometimes called Janssen). Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people ages 16+ and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for ages 18+. There are more vaccines in late-stage trials and in earlier phases of development and testing. On April 13, the CDC recommended states pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while they evaluate it further, and Washington State vaccine providers have complied.

There is a lot of information out there about COVID vaccines. We encourage members to look at the verified scientific information about these vaccines and be thoughtful about the sources of the information you rely on for a decision like this. Getting vaccinated is a choice, but it is a choice that affects your health and safety and our whole community, and it can help bring an end to a global health crisis. 

Here are some places to start: 

UNION ADVOCACY 

Our local and our international union feel strongly that essential workers have served our communities throughout this crisis and many of us are facing high risk of exposure at work, whether from the public or from close contact with coworkers. We have been advocating at the federal and local level from the very beginning of vaccine prioritization discussions for priority vaccine access for all frontline workers, including those in health care, grocery stores, meatpacking and food processing, and any other frontline essential workers. 

UFCW 21 Named to Washington’s Vaccine Command Center 

Our state has formed a partnership with companies, organizations, and unions that have the expertise to help ramp up our state’s ability to vaccinate people safely and quickly. We will ensure frontline workers have a voice in the broader plan for vaccination throughout this process, along with our role ensuring a high level of training and coordination. 

Letter from Governor to Hospital Admin: Listen to Workers for COVID vaccine rollout

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2020 1215 Gov letter - hospitals - unions vaccine collaboration SOCIAL IMAGE.jpg

Read the whole letter here:

December 15, 2020

Dear Washington State Hospital Administrators:

I want to thank you for your partnership during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As your hospitals have neared capacity and ICU beds have filled this fall, I am proud of the way our Washington hospitals have worked together to manage the patient load and not let any one hospital become overwhelmed. I am also appreciative of your helpful messaging encouraging people to follow public health guidance around wearing masks, physical distancing, and staying home during the holidays.

With COVID vaccines available imminently, I recognize the challenge of getting the limited available doses distributed to your staff and workers in an expedient, organized, and equitable manner. However, I am confident that this can be done in partnership with the workers in your facilities.

To that end, I strongly encourage you to work closely with the health care workers and their unions in your facilities as you are developing your COVID vaccine distribution and prioritization plan. It is critical that the worker perspective be a part of the discussions, especially because of the important role they play in delivering care in your facilities. The workers on the frontlines of treating confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients have valuable experience that can be leveraged to make the first phase of vaccine rollout run smoothly.

During this pandemic, we have all relied on each other more, and now more than ever, we need to collaborate to get through these challenging, yet hopeful times. I am confident that our strong health care system can come together to make vaccine distribution among health care workers a success.

I look forward to celebrating our defeat of COVID-19 with you in the not-too-distant future. Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee Governor

When There Is a Positive or Suspected COVID Case at Your Workplace

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Note: There may be special circumstances around COVID cases in some health care workplaces. For all other workplaces, these basic recommendations should be followed.

When There Is a Positive or Suspected COVID Case at Your Workplace:

YOUR EMPLOYER SHOULD:

  • Notify anyone who had a close contact with the person who tested positive

    • The CDC defines “close contact” as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period

    • This close contact also means being that close 2 days before the infected person becomes symptomatic, or 2 days before their test is taken, anytime until the infected person is isolated

  • Have the person with COVID or COVID symptoms, and all close contacts, immediately go home and stay home from work to safely quarantine

    • Workers who have been exposed to COVID but do not have symptoms should still go home and quarantine for 14 days

    • How you should be paid for your time in quarantine or recovery depends on your contract, whether there is a negotiated COVID agreement in place at your workplace, and the industry you work in, but there are many ways to make sure you are compensated. If your employer does not offer you paid leave immediately, you should work with your Union Rep to identify the best paid leave for your situation. You should not have to choose between a paycheck and your health and safety.

  • Follow CDC protocols to clean, sanitize, and disinfect the workplace

    • Before cleaning, close off any areas used for prolonged periods of time by the sick person for 24 hours (or as long as possible) to minimize exposure to respiratory droplets

    • Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in these areas

    • Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting

    • Disinfect surfaces using products that meet EPA criteria for use against SARS-Cov-2

    • Clean and disinfect all common areas (e.g., bathrooms, break rooms), shared electronic equipment (e.g., touch screens, keyboards, ATM machines), and frequently touched surfaces (e.g. counters, doorknobs)

    • Provide appropriate PPE and training for anyone using these chemicals

  •  Notify UFCW 21 of a COVID case in the workplace

YOU AND YOUR COWORKERS SHOULD:

  • Let your Union Rep know about the positive case as soon as you can

  • Protect your health and safety by being realistic about your risk and level of exposure and advocating for yourself

    • If you and your employer disagree about whether you had close contact with someone at work who tested positive for COVID, contact your Shop Steward or Union Rep for help advocating for your safety

  • Understand that to protect people’s medical privacy your employer may not be able to tell you who has tested positive

  • Refrain from spreading rumors or stigmatizing people for getting sick—we need to stand together to support each other and encourage transparency so we can all stay safe

  • If your employer is violating the state’s COVID guidelines for businesses, such as not requiring employees or customers to wear face coverings or not ensuring 6 feet of physical distancing throughout the workplace, remember you can report violations that affect your safety directly to the state at: coronavirus.wa.gov/report-safe-start-violation

To file a safety report by email, send your name, workplace, and description of the issue to: safetyreport@ufcw21.org