Workers at Kroger QFC Fred Meyer Safeway Albertsons Win the Right to wear protective masks

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UPDATE: Safeway, Albertsons agree to allow workers to wear masks and gloves

Kroger agrees to allow QFC and Fred Meyer workers to wear masks and gloves.

*Employer not providing at this point, but will allow workers to bring in their own PPE.

We are working hard to expand this right to all grocery store employees and essential employees interacting with groups. By taking steps like this we can slow the spread and protect our frontline workers

Macy’s COVID-19 UPDATE

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Before Macy’s announced the temporary closure of the stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UFCW 21 was bargaining with them over safety, extended paid leave for workers affected by the outbreak, help with scheduling and childcare due to school closures, and an on-line hiring hall for temporary work if hours were reduced or stores were closed.  In the middle of those talks Macy’s did close the stores until April 1st (which is now undoubtedly going to be for longer).  We immediately engaged Macy’s to bargain over this and to get the best deal possible for union workers.

Last Friday, March 20th, 2020 we believed we had a tentative agreement that had secured on-going partial replacement pay for full-time and part-time workers during the store closures and delivered extended paid leave to those required to self-quarantine by a doctor. 
 
Then Macy’s contacted the Union to do what they said was clarifying the agreement, but what we view as altering the agreement itself.  Mainly they said that the replacement pay would only cover two weeks and would not continue if the stores remained closed.  They also told us that if we didn’t agree to what we view as new and regressive terms, they would not even pay the 2 weeks’ partial replacement pay that they had already promised all Macy’s workers.  We believe that what they did violates the law that governs workers and unions, and that we could have chosen to take immediate legal action to enforce what we had bargained; but that fight could have taken a very long time.  Workers not getting any compensation while the stores were closed was an unacceptable burden for union members to bear, so we grudgingly agreed to their terms.
 
But this pandemic and its accompanying economic crisis isn’t over, and it is clear that we need to show Macy’s that their actions are unacceptable.  We are taking action together (as we all stay home separately) to fight the spread of the Coronavirus by signing and sharing the online petition demanding that Macy’s does the right thing and not abandon its workers during this global crisis.  Macy’s must do better, and they must bargain openly and honestly.


Please click on or copy and paste this link: http://chng.it/nHB2TkGX, into your web browser, sign the petition, and share it on your social media and with your friends and family.  It is time that we hold Macy’s accountable, and demand that they do their part to defeat COVID-19 by supporting their workers.  We will update you as soon as possible.
 
Resources and information for workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic can be found at https://www.ufcw21.org/safety-at-work.  If you have any questions or concerns that can’t be answered there, please contact your rep or call the Rep of the Day at 206-436-6578. 

SIGN OUR PETITION DEMANDING SAFE, FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

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Nurses and health care workers must have the resources to ensure our health and our families are protected as we fight this pandemic.

We’re coming together as health care workers and community members across Washington to demand employers and our elected leaders commit to:

  1. Follow workplace safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control, and provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves, gowns and eye protection

  2. Provide scrubs and a secure location to change uniforms so we do not have to bring our soiled uniforms home and into the community

  3. Help us meet new challenges with a pay increase of $5/hr in recognition of our work and the increased risk to ourselves and our families during this pandemic

  4. Provide paid leave for any worker who the Employer does not permit to work due to exposure to COVID-19, with no loss of pay or accrued time off

  5. Offer accommodation (telework or alternative assignments) or paid leave with no loss of pay or accrued time off for any worker in at-risk group (older than 60, pregnant, or with an underlying medical condition)

  6. Provide prompt notice from employer of known exposure, assessment of exposure risk, access to testing, and whether a worker is placed on paid leave

Every worker who keeps our health care system running is critical to the safety and health of our communities. Let’s make sure they have the equipment and working conditions to keep themselves safe through this crisis. 

SIGN THE PETITION: we need to protect the health care workers who are taking care of all Washingtonians!

Grocery Store Workers Demand Action: Sign the petition

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Grocery Store Workers Demand Action 

Grocery store workers cannot work from home, and our work is essential to the health and safety of our communities.

All over the world, when countries shut down, we remain on the job. Our customers need food and supplies, but right now many of us feel unsafe continuing to go to workplaces that are too crowded, understaffed, and not being adequately sanitized.

Our community is with us, and we are calling on our employers and government to act immediately to protect grocery store workers and the public:

  • Enforce limits on crowding, adherence to social distancing guidelines, enhanced sanitization, and all other necessary public health measures inside grocery stores.

  • Designate grocery store workers as emergency responders for the purpose of accessing support services, such as childcare, that will allow them to stay on the job.

  • Provide adequate leave and health care benefit protections for grocery store workers who are directed to quarantine or diagnosed with Covid-19. READ ON