Reporting safety issues at businesses

Our state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has produced a document with their recommendations for grocery stores to ensure that stores comply with the state’s social distancing requirements. Find a printable PDF of this document on the L&I website here. 

If you think your store is not following social distancing protocols, there are lots of ways to report that, including via safety and health complaints or through the state’s COVID-19 social distancing report form, or by emailing UFCW 21 at safetyreport@ufcw21.org. 


Learn more>>

Will you STAND WITH US for Safety and Fair Pay?

Fred Meyer & QFC Customers: Tell Corporate to Support Their Workers

We wanted to let our customers and community know: As grocery store workers, we are proud of the work we do every day to get people the food and supplies they need. But our jobs have become more demanding, dangerous, and stressful during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Send a message to Kroger that you stand with Fred Meyer and QFC workers for safe stores and against pay cuts!

We're exposed to hundreds or thousands of people each week, which means an elevated risk of bringing COVID-19 home to our loved ones. We need the executives at Fred Meyer and QFC to keep workers and customers safe. We need meaningful limits on the number of shoppers entering stores. And now their parent company Kroger says it will take away our $2/hour “Hero Pay” on May 17th – even though the added burdens and risks of working through COVID-19 remain.

#EssentialHeroes

Messages from your community Grocery Store Workers

I value my relationships and friendships with customers. But right now I’m worried about my mental health and fatigue. Kroger management: Come visit our stores, and see what it's like, witness what we’re going through until this is over. Come and help us! 

-Tanya, Fred Meyer

We are tired, scared and tired! We are a BIG PART of what people are calling the “front line.” We deserve hazard pay for putting our lives on the line. We are a very important part of why your store is open during this hard time. 

-Sherrie, Fred Meyer

We have one of the busiest stores and no one is seeing the customer numbers drop. I make homemade masks for free for my co-workers because I want us safer. The top treats us like numbers instead of people.  We have names, we are important, treat us like we are your family and respect us. Do better by us workers. 

-Sheryl, Fred Meyer

We deserved higher pay even BEFORE the COVID crisis. Grocery workers work incredibly hard, and making near minimum wage is insulting. 

-John, QFC 

It's far more difficult than it's ever been, and management is giving the impression that their money is worth more than our lives. 

-Jacob, Fred Meyer

It's a nightmare. I'm being run ragged getting carts, cleaning what I have to clean, and keeping up with the people wanting help to their cars, while trying to accommodate the new measures that Kroger is implementing that affect my position. We deserve more than an extra $2 an hour. I’m scared of coming into contact with someone or something with COVID-19 and bringing it home to my family, who is at risk.  

-Isobel, Fred Meyer

I'm worried about workers not being protected enough during this pandemic. We can allow 900 customers into our store and there is no way we can socially distance with even a fraction of that amount of customers in our store. It's not fair that the company gets to act like they're doing something when in reality it doesn't do anything substantial to protect their workers. I love the team I'm on and the people I work with. But I'd say that most of Kroger management doesn't have to be in a store that allows thousands of people in every single day. It's easy for them to make these decisions, but they're not the ones who have to actually work through this pandemic day in and day out. We deserve better protection. 

-Cody, Fred Meyer

Conditions are more stressful and anxiety inducing than ever before. The extra labor involved in constantly sanitizing the store is intense and deserves at least the $2-an-hour hazard pay. It feels like expectations from management, although for a good cause, are unrealistic given the amount of staff and business my store does on most days. We should be compensated for the extra labor we do on a daily basis to keep ourselves and our customers safe. 

-Anna, QFC

Every single day is like Christmas and Black Friday are happening. We’ve been so busy, and now they’re cutting our hours.  

-Bob, Fred Meyer 

I am worried about getting sick and taking it home to my family. I can't stay home and get paid—unlike like the higher-up corporate people that aren't out here on the front line risking their lives and the well-being of their families. They are paid much more than those of us here working our behinds off. And they can’t pay us more? I’d tell them to do our job for an entire week and see how they are when it’s over. 

-Sonja, Fred Meyer

GROCERY STORE UNIONS CALL ON KROGER TO CEASE PLANS TO ELIMINATE HERO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS, IMPROVE SAFETY IN STORES

UFCWs 7, 21, 324, 367, 555, 770, 1439 and IBT 38

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2020 | 3  PM Pacific
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

GROCERY STORE UNIONS CALL ON KROGER TO CEASE PLANS TO ELIMINATE HERO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS, IMPROVE SAFETY IN STORES

AS GROCERY STORES ACHIEVE RECORD PROFITS AND CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD, UFCW LOCALS REPRESENTING OVER 100,000 OF THESE #ESSENTIALHEROES ACROSS THE WEST URGE KROGER TO MAINTAIN HERO PAY AND ADDRESS SAFETY CONCERNS

Puget Sound Region, WA – Kroger-owned grocery stores across the West notified essential grocery workers that starting May 17th, the company will eliminate the $2.00 an hour bonus called “Hero Pay.”  Grocery store employees, deemed essential workers by the government, are a constant on the frontline in all natural disasters or national crises-- risking their lives to ensure America is fed no matter what.

In response to Kroger’s announcement, UFCW Local Unions are calling on the public to support these #EssentialHeroes in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming asking Kroger to maintain Hero Pay and improve store safety practices and provide testing to all employees as COVID-19 continues to plague local communities, and the UFCW membership.

“We have been working hard from day one of this crisis, putting our own health at risk to serve our community, and now Kroger’s response is to say that they are going to take away our pay. Meanwhile in many stores they are still dropping the ball on limiting the number of people in the store at one time to allow proper social distancing,” said Chuck Svac, a member of UFCW 21 from the Fred Meyer store in Port Orchard.

Fred Meyer and QFC are the two Kroger store banners in the Puget Sound area.

Together, these local unions represent over 100,000 essential grocery workers in these five western states and approximately 55,000 of these are at Kroger stores. Unions have seen an uptick in cases of infection of COVID-19 amongst their respective grocery worker members.

“We will continue to recognize and support the frontline workers through this COVID-19 crisis and beyond and demand that their employer do the same by continuing to pay the $2.00/hr "HERO" pay and provide a safe working environment for these workers,” said Steve Chandler, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 38. “These workers have proven themselves as dedicated employees of Kroger which is reflected in them tirelessly serving the customers on a daily basis.”

The decision by Kroger to rip away this well-deserved pay increase comes at the same time these essential grocery workers -- American heroes -- are mourning the loss of their Union brothers and sisters to COVID-19 and more workers are falling ill.

Seven UFCW Local unions across the Western US and Teamsters 38 in Snohomish County, representing over 55,000 members who work at Kroger stores, have united to bring attention to Kroger’s unjustified decision to take away Hero Pay as states reopen. We encourage customers to support grocery workers as these #EssentialHeroes and continue to support them during local stay-at-home orders and the global pandemic. Local Unions are also continuing to call on Kroger to more effectively limit the number of shoppers in a store at one time in order to allow for safe 6 ft distancing, and also have all workers and shoppers wear masks.

Please support your community grocery workers—our #EssentialHeroes—by  telling Kroger how you feel about their takeaway of the Hero pay.

For more information visit on how to get involved visit UFCW21.org and Teamsters38.org

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STANDING WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Many of UFCW 21’s community partner organizations are facing unprecedented financial stress as they seek to support some of the most vulnerable people in our communities: those who are in detention centers, people who don’t have homes, those experiencing domestic violence, and others.

Spring is the typical fundraising season for these organizations, some receive a sizable part of their yearly budget during these events, however, to keep us all as safe and healthy as possible they have been forced to cancel them, jeopardizing their ability to sustain their work.

But you can still help. 

In addition to the annual support UFCW 21 members collectively offer these organizations, we are encouraging you if possible, to consider supporting their vital efforts.  

All of these community organizations are non-profits and receive funding from government agencies, foundations, and donations from individual supporters.  While funding from the government and private foundations is drying up, individuals can still help.

We know it will take all of us to overcome this.

Each month we will share information on all the organizations that are holding fundraisers and/or who have reached out for support.

Please consider donating to at least one of these organizations this month. Click on the organization name and you’ll be redirected to their donation page.

GIVE to Y-WE

Y-WE cultivates the power of diverse young women to be creative leaders and courageous changemakers through transformative programs within a collaborative community of belonging. We envision a society rooted in social justice, where all young women live their truth, achieve their dreams, and change our world.

GIVE to API Chaya

API Chaya empowers survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking to gain safety, connection, and wellness.  We build power by educating and mobilizing South Asian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and all immigrant communities to end exploitation, creating a world where all people can heal and thrive.

GIVE to One America

OneAmerica advances the fundamental principles of democracy and justice at the local, state, and national levels by building power within immigrant communities in collaboration with key allies.

GIVE to Real Change

Real Change exists to provide opportunity and a voice for low-income and homeless people while taking action for economic, social and racial justice.

Any amount, big or small, makes a difference! 

Thank you for supporting local communities!

Macy’s workers are facing COVID-19 store shutdowns with little information and support from our employer.

Macy’s workers are facing COVID-19 store shutdowns with little information and support from our employer. But this community has our back. We’ve given years of service to this store and our communities, and it’s time for Macy’s to acknowledge that their profits came from the work that we put in.

We’re calling on Macy’s to provide paid leave for those of us whose stores are temporarily closed, help to those of us who have to file for unemployment benefits, and fair severance in case of permanent store closure.

Check out this video from Macy’s workers and allies and customers in the community, and then sign our petition for fair treatment during this crisis!

It's time to share our voices with the public. Tell your Story.

What is going on at your workplace? Are you working during this crisis? Facing lost hours or unemployment? What do our elected leaders and our communities need to know about what it's really like for working people during this crisis?

We'll be sharing these quotes on our website and/or social media to get the word out and build support for the changes we need.

Kroger Agrees to Limit Customers After Members Demand Action

Members have been calling for a limit to the number of customers in stores at one time so we can do our jobs safely and protect our customers and community. Crowding and congestion in stores and lines puts everyone at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. After almost 5,000 people signed our Grocery Store Workers Demand Action petition calling for safety measures including limiting customers, Kroger has started to move. 

This week Fred Meyer and QFC stores will: 

• Limit the number of customers to 50% of building code capacity 

• Test one-way aisles in some stores 

• Supply masks and gloves in all locations by the end of the week 

• Close early on Sunday, April 12 

These customer limits do not go as far as Safeway/Albertsons, which is limiting customers to approximately 30% of store capacity. But it’s important that Kroger is listening and starting to make real changes. 

When we stand together, we get things done. Let’s work together to hold management accountable to these promises. If your store is not implementing these procedures by the end of the week, call your Shop Steward or Union Rep, or email us at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.  

If at any point your store is not following social distancing guidelines, you can report them (anonymously or with your name) to the state with this reporting tool. 

There is more work to be done. If you would like to take further action at your store for better safety practices, contact your Union Rep at 1-800-732-1188. 

Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries on Protecting Grocery Store Workers

Our state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has produced a document with their recommendations for grocery stores to ensure that stores comply with the state’s social distancing requirements. Find a printable PDF of this document on the L&I website here. 

If you think your store is not following social distancing protocols, there are lots of ways to report that, including via safety and health complaints or through the state’s COVID-19 social distancing report form, or by emailing UFCW 21 at safetyreport@ufcw21.org. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Protecting Grocery Store Workers 

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) requires employers to implement the Governor’s proclamation. Employers must ensure social distancing for employees and customers; frequent and adequate handwashing; and that sick employees stay home. Employers must also provide basic workplace hazard education about coronavirus and how to prevent transmission in languages best understood by employees. 

Workplace Discrimination 

It is against the law for any employer to take any adverse action such as firing or threats against a worker for exercising safety and health rights such as raising safety and health concerns to their employer, participating in union activities concerning safety and health, filing a safety and health complaint or participating in a Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) investigation. Workers have 30 days to file their complaint with L&I DOSH and/or with Federal OSHA. 

Ideas for an Effective Social Distancing Plan: 

• Limit the number of customers entering the store to facilitate social distancing at store entrances, throughout store and at check-out lines.  

• Require all workers to stay at least six feet away from customers and coworkers.  

• Temporarily mark six-foot increments (using adhesive colored tape, chalk, etc.) on the ground or floor to ensure social distancing.  

• Post large print attention-grabbing signs readable from a far distance (or use portable, electronic reader boards) that inform customers of social distancing practices.  

• Designate workers to monitor and facilitate distancing at check-out lines.  

• Discontinue self-serve foods, free sample stands and product demonstrations. 

Ideas for an Effective Handwashing Plan: 

• Install hand-sanitizing dispensers at store entrances and at key locations inside for customers.  

• Ensure all workers know why and how to effectively wash hands for at least twenty seconds.  

• Require workers to wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, such as when they arrive at work, leave their workstations for breaks, eat, use tobacco, and after handling money.  

• Ensure gloves are used for cart retrievers, handling money, common use of the same cash register or keypad by different cashiers, food safety and cleaning.  

• Set up a schedule to keep these supplies well stocked and trash emptied. 

Ensure Sick Workers Are Not at Work:  

• Monitor employees for signs of illness and require sick workers to stay home.  

• Ensure employees know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 caused by coronavirus exposure. 

Ideas for Providing Basic Workplace Hazard Education About Preventing Coronavirus Transmission: 

• Instruct all workers on social distancing, handwashing, and other store-wide safety procedures related to coronavirus.  

• Teach workers the importance of hand washing before eating, drinking, or using tobacco.  

• Advise on respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes and not touching eyes, noses, and mouths with unwashed hands or gloves.  

• Prohibit sharing utensils, phones, work tools, and other workplace items that are not sanitized.  

• Communicate important safety messages/ updates daily with methods such as posters, reader boards, etc. 

Checkout Stands and Counters Considerations  

• Consider closing self-check stands if not all surfaces can be sanitized between customers and if it is not possible to ensure at least six feet between users.  

• Consider installing “sneeze shields” at check stands, and ask customers to stand behind them, or relocate pay station key pads further away from worker.  

• When supplies are available, provide disposable wipes/hand sanitizer at check-out stands for employees and customers (e.g. at key pads, registers, bagging area).  

• Prohibit reusable shopping bags and provide single use bags for groceries. 

Stocking and Surface Cleaning 

• Schedule as much stocking and deep cleaning as possible during closing hours. If a 24-hour store, stock during the slowest period of the night.  

• Appoint a designated sanitation worker(s) at all times to continuously clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on a significantly increased schedule. Use the environmental cleaning guidelines set by the CDC.  

• When disinfecting for coronavirus, the EPA recommends using the longest recommended contact time and/or most concentrated solution per the label.  

• Be sure to follow the label directions for FOOD CONTACT SURFACES when using the chemical near or on utensils and food contact surfaces.  

• Use protective gloves and eye/face protection (e.g. face shields and/or goggles) when mixing, spraying, and wiping with liquid cleaning products, like diluted bleach. 

Other Protective Measures 

• Provide ways for workers to express any concerns and ideas to improve safety.  

• Alert store managers or shift supervisors of strategies on handling customers or workers who are not following social distancing practices or demonstrate signs of illness during the visit. For example, it might be helpful to move a coughing customer out of line to a separate checkout station distant from others.  

• Update store Accident Prevention Program (APP) to include awareness and prevention measures for diseases and viruses.  

Resources 

L&I’s COVID-19 webpage 

County Public Health Grocery store guidance with downloadable posters here  

WA Food Industry Association: www.wa-food-ind.org/Covid-19 

Get help  

For a free safety and health consultation go to http://www.Lni.wa.gov/SafetyConsultants or call 1-800-423-7233 or visit a local L&I office. 

Members Demand Action, Safeway and Albertsons Listen and Begin Limiting Customers This Week

Members have been calling for a limit to the number of customers in stores to allow us to do our jobs safely and protect our customers and community. When there is crowding and congestion in stores and lines, everyone is put at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Almost 5,000 people have signed our Grocery Store Workers Demand Action petition that calls for limiting customers along with other safety measures, and Safeway and Albertsons have listened.

Starting this week and completing rollout by the end of the week, Safeway and Albertsons stores are implementing new safety protocols in Washington State, including:

• Limiting the number of customers in the store at one time to roughly 30% of the store’s capacity

• Implementing one-way aisles

• Providing masks to workers

Work with your coworkers and your Shop Steward to hold your store accountable to these promises. If your store is not implementing these procedures by the end of the week, call your Union Rep or email us at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

If at any point your store is not following social distancing guidelines, you can report them (anonymously or with your name) to the state with this reporting tool.

If you would like to take further action in your department or your store for better safety practices, contact your Union Rep at 1-800-732-1188.

Be Counted! / ¡Tu tambien cuentas! - Census Day 2020

You count in your community and in your union.

Now make sure you are counted in the US 2020 Census!

Tu cuentas… en tu comunidad… en tu unión

Ahora asegúrate de contarte para el Censo 2020

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Vital resources are allocated based on how many people live in our communities, from how many seats we have in Congress to where federal dollars are allocated across the United States. Every person living in the US is counted, including you and your family members!

Los recursos más importantes son asegurados basado en cuanta gente vive en nuestras comunidades. Cuanta representación en el congreso depende del censo. Todos los que vivimos en los estados unidos contamos… tú y tu familia.

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Fill out the US 2020 Census online here English, Español, and Chinese

Llene el censo en línea aquí

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Excellent resources from UFCW 21 community partners to learn more

Encuentre otros recursos de nuestros aliados en la comunidad

Queer the Census (English and Español)

Para la comunidad LGBTQ (Español e Ingles)

Asian American / Pacific Islander specific resources in multiple languages from APALA

Recursos para la comunidad asiática americana y de las islas pacificas en varios idiomas de parte de APALA

Free webinar from CAIR this weekend for the 2020 census and people of faith

CAIR dará un seminario este fin de semana en línea sobre el censo para las comunidades de fe

Washington Census Alliance

We Count Washington

Reporting Businesses That Violate Our State’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Order

The State of Washington has now announced enforcement measures for Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation that prohibits people from leaving their residence except to conduct or participate in essential activities or to work in essential businesses. (You can find more information about that proclamation and a definition of essential businesses here.) 

If your employer is not following the guidelines given by the state or local public health officials, you can report violations to the state with a simple online form. The report will then be forwarded to the appropriate agency to review and respond. You can report anonymously, or you can give your name and contact information for follow-up. 

EXAMPLES OF THINGS YOU CAN REPORT: 

• An essential business is not following social distancing requirements  

• A non-essential business is staying open or requiring you to come in to work 

• A business is performing a function that is non-essential 

• You are being evicted 

If you have questions, please contact your Union Rep or email safetyreport@ufcw21.org.  

10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Support Front Line Workers

So many of us are essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic right now, keeping our community healthy, fed, and supplied. And we’re hearing from lots of our customers, patients, and friends with questions about what you can do to support us. Here are 10 things you can do.

1) Listen to experts. 

The worse this outbreak gets, the harder it will be on everybody, including front line workers. Please, we’re begging you: if you’re not an essential worker, stay home as much as you can, follow all public health recommendations, bend the curve down, and help prevent an overload of our health care system that will put health care workers and all workers at further risk. 

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2) Take good care of yourself. 

Many of us are losing hours, losing work, or facing shutdowns of our workplaces. But we can get through this together, and we’ll need everybody to help us build the world we want to see once the crisis is over. We’ve compiled resources for working people at our website, where you can find information about unemployment and other benefits, health care options, tips on free or low-cost internet, and help with mental health and addiction, domestic violence, immigration, discrimination, food support, and more: Resources for Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

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3) Be kind in the grocery store. 

Keep 6 feet of distance between you and other people, including shoppers and workers, especially while standing in lines and at the checkout. Limit how many people in your family come into the store. Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue. Use sanitizing wipes. Leave high-touch surfaces like self-check stations alone. Try using curbside pickup service so you don’t have to go into the store. Only buy what you need, and leave some for your neighbors. And please, be kind and patient—we’re working long, grueling hours and facing higher risk of illness to serve you. 

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4) Be safe (and keep us safe) in the hospital or clinic. 

Unless it’s a life or death emergency, call ahead before you go into any health care facility to see if it’s a good idea to go in person, see if they have space for you, and find out if they’ll need extra protection or precautions to see you based on your symptoms. Use telemedicine if you can. Try calling the state hotline for advice at 1-800-525-0127. 

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5) Advocate with our government for fair policies and resources. 

We are facing an unprecedented situation, and our local, state, and federal governments must step in to help. We’re running multiple campaigns to get lawmakers to help working people right now: 

• Join us in asking congress to send protective equipment to Washington health care workers and ramp up production of new equipment immediately so we can stay safe 

• Ask Washington State’s decision makers to join other states in giving “essential personnel” like grocery and pharmacy workers the same access to childcare support as health care workers and first responders so we can continue to work 

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6) Sign on to our demands of employers. 

We simply cannot continue to work without safety and support, and those of us who have lost hours or jobs cannot be expected to find new income immediately during a crisis. Thousands of people have already signed on to these petitions, and you can too. The more people standing with us, the stronger we are: 

• Grocery store workers demand action statewide 

• Health care workers demand action statewide 

• Laid-off Macy’s workers need relief 

• Gig workers are calling for sick leave, hazard pay, and better safety 

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7) Donate personal protective equipment to health care workers. 

Maybe you work in an industry that uses masks, gloves, or gowns, like construction or dentistry? Or you’ve done some home repairs lately, or you stockpiled a little extra when you first heard about the crisis? Health care workers in Washington are already running out of the protective equipment we need, making our jobs dangerous—and potentially deadly. Workers have started sequestering themselves from family, reusing one-time-use equipment for days, and planning for a future without any protective equipment at all. This is terrifying, and you could help. Donate any and all unopened boxes of masks, gloves, and gowns by contacting us and someone will come pick them up: SuppliesSaveLivesWA.org. 

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8) Consider getting a union job. 

If you’re missing hours or your workplace is shut down, you could serve your community in a front line job in grocery or health care. Union jobs have benefits like free online college, predictable raises, affordable health care, and a voice at work. Union workers are fighting for (and winning) better safety standards at work and hazard pay for working through this crisis. Find links to union jobs in health care and grocery at UFCWjobs.com and in cannabis at UFCW21.org/hhjobs. 

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9) Fight discrimination. 

The way we speak about this pandemic matters, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is facing a wave of violence and discrimination due to inaccurate and harmful rhetoric about the virus. Discrimination and stigma only hurt our ability to respond to this challenge. It’s important right now to stand up and speak out against discrimination. Our allies at the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance have put together tips for fighting discrimination and a sign you can hang in your workplace to show support and solidarity: Check it out here. 

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10) Shop union and don’t cross picket lines (even digitally). 

Union members are holding the line for safety at work right now and bargaining for better terms in many industries, which can improve standards for everyone. You can find the list of workers organized with UFCW 21 here, including lots of grocery stores, drugstores, and Have a Heart cannabis shops. (Want to organize your workplace? Get in touch.) Nonunion workers at Instacart, Whole Foods, and Amazon are already staging strikes, walk-outs, and sick-outs to demand safety and better pay, and other workers will likely be taking action in the coming weeks as well. Respect strikelines and stand with working people for change. 

Macy’s COVID-19 UPDATE

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

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!

Providence Can Do Better Candle light vigils: January 8

Providence Can Do Better
Candle light vigils
Join us Jan. 8

St. Peter – Olympia / 5pm Corner of Lilly Rd NE & Ensign Rd NE

Centralia / 5pm Corner of S Scheuber Rd & Cooks Hill Rd

Sacred Heart– Spokane / 5pm Cowley Park W 7th Ave & S Division St.

Holy Family -Spokane / 5pm Corner of N. Lidgerwood St & E Rowan Ave

Everett / 5pm Corner of Colby Ave & 13th St.

St. Mary’s – Walla Walla / 5pm Corner of S 7th Ave & W Poplar St.

Vigils are being held all across the state.

Tell Macy's Management not to abandon their downtown Seattle workers

Macy’s management is shutting-down their flagship store and shutting-out their career employees from the severance and health care they have earned.

Macy’s is still not offering a fair severance package to their most senior, and loyal members.  Macy’s is also trying to shove the costs of continued medical coverage on to laid-off workers.  This is much less than laid off workers from the recently closed Northgate store who had their medical insurance covered for 3 months, and were offered fair severance packages.

Here’ is some sample text that you can use in your message to Macy’s:

“Macy's shouldn't abandon its most senior and loyal employees. You should offer associates a severance package that honors all associates' total time dedicated to your company. Shame on you for offering a lesser healthcare transition than other displaced Macy's employees have received in the past. Macy’s should treat their workers equally and with respect.”

Send you message to Macy’s Management by pressing the button below.

Macy’s workers need your help, please go to https://survey.medallia.com/?mcy-tuwyt-store, choose Washington State, Seattle Downtown, and click “next.”  Then choose Complaint and General Feedback, and let Macy’s know you feel about their substandard proposal. 

Providence - Ready to Strike for Patient Safety!

Nurses and health care workers represented by the Washington State Nurses Association, UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW at these Providence hospitals across Washington state are ready to strike for patient safety.

Providence Update - Strike Authorization Vote

UNITED ACTION – STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE

**ALL VOTE TIMES EXTENDED TO 9PM**

Drop in anytime during the listed times. Members must be in good standing to vote.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center – Spokane

October 24, 2019

UFCW 21 Office: 2805 N Market St. Spokane, WA 99207

Meeting Times: 6AM-9AM; 11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Providence Holy Family – Spokane

October 25, 2019

UFCW 21 Office: 2805 N Market St. Spokane, WA 99207

Meeting Times: 6AM-9AM; 11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Providence St. Mary’s – Walla Walla

October 25, 2019

Holiday Inn: 1433 W Pine St., Walla Walla, WA 99362

Meeting Times:11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Providence Centralia Hospital RN – Centralia

October 29, 2019

Peppermill Inn Meeting room:1233 Alder St. Centralia, WA 98531

Meeting Times: 6AM-9AM; 11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Providence Regional Medical Center – Everett 

October 29, 2019

Snohomish County Labor Council – Warren Rush Room:

2810 Lombard Ave Everett, WA 98201

Meeting Times: 6AM-9AM; 11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Providence St. Peter’s Hospital – Olympia

October 30, 2019

Doubletree – Olympia room:

415 Capital Way N Olympia, WA 98501

Meeting Times: 6AM-9AM; 11AM-4PM and 5PM-9PM

Grocery Store Workers informational picket

Grocery Store Workers informational picket

The employers are still proposing pay cuts. More action is needed to increase our wages, secure our pension, and protect our health care.

Tuesday, July 30

Tacoma

Fred Meyer Stevens 4505 S 19th St // 10am-12pm // 2pm-4pm // 6pm-8pm

Thursday, August 1

Port Orchard

Safeway 3355 Bethel Rd SE, Port Orchard, WA // 12:30pm

Albertsons 1434 Olney Ave SE Port Orchard, WA // 1:30pm

Fred Meyer 1900 SE Sedgwick Rd Port Orchard, WA // 12:30pm

Albertsons 370 Sedgwick Rd Port Orchard, WA // 1:30pm

Monroe

FM Monroe 18805 State Route 2 Monroe, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway Monroe 1951 Highway 2 Monroe, WA // 1:30pm

Everett

FM Everett 8530 Evergreen Way Everett, WA // 12:30pm

FM Lynnwood 4615-196th SW Lynnwood, WA // 1:30pm

Tacoma

Fred Meyer Pacific 7250 Pacific Ave. Tacoma, WA // 10am-12pm // 2pm-4pm // 6pm-8pm

Wednesday, July 31

North Seattle

Safeway N City 17202-15th Ave NE Seattle, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway Pine Hurst 12318-15th Ave NE Seattle, WA // 1:30pm

Kent

Safeway Kent Valley 210 Washington Ave S Kent, WA // 12:30pm

Fred Meyer Kent 10201 SE 240th St Kent, WA // 1:30pm

Renton

Safeway 200 S 3rd St Renton, WA // 12:30pm

Fred Meyer 365 Renton Center Way SW Renton, WA // 1:30pm

Bellevue

QFC Bel-East 1510-0145th Pl SE Bellevue, WA // 12:30pm

FM Bellevue 2041-0148th NE Bellevue, WA // 1:30pm

Auburn

FM Auburn 801 Auburn Way N Auburn, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway Auburn 101 Auburn Way S Auburn, WA // 1:30pm

University Village

Safeway U Village 3020 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA // 12:30pm

QFC U Village 2746 NE 45th St Seattle, WA // 1:30pm

Lower Queen Ann

Safeway Lower QA 516-1st Ave W Seattle, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway Upper QA 2100 Queen Anne Ave N Seattle, WA // 1:30pm

West Seattle

Safeway 4740-42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA // 12:30pm

QFC West Seattle 4550- 42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA // 1:30pm

Coal Creek

QFC 6940 Coal Creek Pkwy SE Renton, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway 6911 Coal Creek Parkway SE Renton, WA // 1:30pm

Issaquah

QFC Issaquah 1540 Gilman Blvd Issaquah, WA // 12:30pm

Safeway Issaquah 735 Gilman Blvd Issaquah, WA // 1:30pm

Redmond

QFC Bella Bottega 8867-161st Ave NE Redmond, WA // 12:30pm

QFC Redmond 15800 Redmond Way Redmond, WA // 1:30pm