"Stay Home" announcement and a message from President Faye Guenther and Secretary Treasurer Joe Mizrahi

Dear UFCW 21 Member, 

Last night, March 23, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced that he has issued a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, effective immediately across Washington State due to the outbreak of coronavirus/COVID-19. This means everyone in our state is expected to remain in their homes except for essential activities, like getting medical care or going grocery shopping, or going to work if you or your workplace are considered essential. All non-essential businesses must close within the next 48 hours unless all employees can work from home. Grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and other essential businesses will remain open. You can learn more at the state’s website or read the full order with information about what are essential businesses. This order is expected to last at least two weeks. 

We know this affects all of our more than 45,000 members in different ways—many of us are essential personnel and will have to go to work even during this emergency. Others are facing shutdowns that are affecting our hours and our jobs. Some members have sick family and friends or have already lost people to COVID-19. But no matter what we go through, we go through it together, as one union. 

Thousands of UFCW 21 members who are on the front lines in various industries have already won hazard pay, extra paid leave, and updated safety precautions at work by signing petitions and bargaining for agreements with our employers. Negotiations continue in many workplaces. Other members are disseminating critical safety information to our coworkers, or supporting and checking in with each other more than ever. We know that when we stand together with coworkers and fellow union members, we can help keep each other safe and hold our employers accountable. 

UFCW 21 stands with dozens of other unions and community allies in our state, working together to demand that business and government keep working people safe at all times, offer the support we need to do our jobs, and find ways to make us whole if we incur losses during this outbreak. We have already accomplished a great deal in a short time, and we know there is more work to be done. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to your Shop Steward or Union Rep. You can find updated COVID-19 information on our website. If you believe your workplace is unsafe or you have safety concerns, please email safetyreport@ufcw21.org. 

We will continue to do weekly Tele-Town Hall calls with members on Monday evenings, so keep an ear out for those calls, and we will be in touch with you by phone, email, text message, and the UFCW 21 app as well. Please ensure your contact information is up to date, and make any changes or updates as soon as you can. 

Let’s take care of each other right now, and get to work building a more powerful union and a better world for working people. 

In solidarity, 

Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 President 

Joe Mizrahi, UFCW 21 Secretary-Treasurer 

March 5 Update: Message to members from the President and Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 21:

We have reached out to all members today about the recent outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus, COVID-19, here in Washington State. As many of you have seen in the news or at your workplace, this is a contagious illness with confirmed cases in our area, including at some health care facilities where UFCW 21 members work.

Here’s what we’re doing so far: We have already made comprehensive information requests of our health care employers so we can have a full picture of how they plan to keep people safe at work. This includes information about trainings, protocols, and personal protective equipment. We encourage all health care workers to stay up to date on the Centers for Disease Control’s interim guidance for health care workers to help ensure employers are following these guidelines in your work sites at all times.

We are also regularly in touch with state and local agencies so we can make long-term plans for member safety as this continues, and to advocate for benefits for members who are affected by COVID-19, including those who may be quarantined or otherwise must miss work. We are working together with other health care unions so that we are all sharing information and supporting each other. And we are working directly with other employers as well, to ensure all our members have safe workplaces and access to sick leave during a viral outbreak.

One of the most important ways we can all prevent the spread of this illness even outside health care settings is to stay home from work if you are feeling ill. Our members have fought hard for access to paid sick leave and family leave, and bargained for other leave in our contracts. It is important to know your contract, know the law, and keep yourself, your coworkers, and your community safe. Health care workers and the public will rely on things we have fought for, like access to meal and rest breaks and affordable health care for our families.

If you feel ill, especially if you have a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, you should contact your health care provider to see if you should go in for care. You can also call the Washington State Department of Health coronavirus hotline at 1-800-525-0127, and press #.

You should reach out to your Shop Steward or Union Representative as soon as you can if you have any questions about your rights, concerns about staying home when you are feeling sick, if you feel your workplace is unsafe or you are asked to do something unsafe at work, if you face any discipline related to the impacts of this outbreak, or if you experience a change in your working conditions. You can also report workplace safety concerns to safetyreport@ufcw21.org. If you do so, please include detailed information about where you work, your safety concerns, and how best to contact you.

Much of our union family is on the front lines of this outbreak, whether it’s providing high-quality patient care, offering compassionate customer service, keeping groceries and supplies stocked for the public, or safely cleaning our workplaces and health facilities. Let’s continue to do so without discrimination. As we are sure you’re all aware, there is no basis for assessing a person’s coronavirus risk just because of a their race, ethnicity, language, or nationality, and stigma will only hurt our ability to deal with this outbreak.

Please know that we are committed to ensuring your safety and dealing with the effects of this outbreak for as long as it lasts. Don’t hesitate to be in touch with your rep with any questions or concerns.

In solidarity,

UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther

UFCW 21 Secretary Treasurer Joe Mizrahi