State Hazard Alert for Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings

UFCW 21 members at CHI’s Harrison/St Michael Medical Center faced an outbreak at their hospital in August 2020, and after management did not address health care workers’ safety, members pushed back and stood up for a safer workplace for themselves and their patients. Their advocacy led the state’s Department of Labor & Industries and Department of Health to issue a special document called a Joint Hazard Alert, which addresses a special workplace issue brought to these departments’ attention.

The September 2020 Joint Hazard Alert specifies requirements of health care employers to keep workers and patients safe as we deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Employers must meet the requirements outlined in this alert, and can be held accountable to these standards by complaints filed with the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). If your employer is not meeting these standards in any area, you should contact your Union Rep immediately or submit a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org to get help filing a report.

The Hazard Alert covers specific safety requirements such as:

• “Disposable respirators and procedural masks must be replaced daily at the beginning of each shift for every employee and immediately upon employee request when soiled or damaged during the shift. Multiple shift use of disposable respirators/masks is NOT allowed.”

• “Hospitals must develop and implement an effective system to track N95/PAPR/CAPR training and testing that ensures every employee is supplied with appropriate respiratory protection.”

• “Staff must be provided a safe place to don and doff PPE prior to entering spaces where facemasks must be removed for eating and drinking. Staff should don a new facemask prior to returning to the unit.”

• “Provide adequate space and procedures for staff to physically distance at a minimum of six feet in break rooms, nurse stations, cafeteria and other places where staff congregate”

• “Prohibit staff from working or being on the premises if exposed to COVID-19, and all staff who test positive must be excluded from work and isolated according to CDC guidelines”

There are many more specifics in the Hazard Alert. Be sure to read the entire document to understand your rights to a safe workplace during COVID-19.

Again, if your employer is not meeting these standards in any area, you should contact your Union Rep immediately or submit a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org to get help filing a report.

Wildfire Information for Workers

People across the West Coast are being forced to flee their homes due to encroaching wildfires. We have begun receiving requests from UFCW locals and other unions for any help and support we can offer, and we know UFCW 21 members may need support like this as well. Evacuating safely is a life or death issue. While respecting the risks of traveling and congregating during the COVID pandemic, we would like to offer whatever support or emergency shelter we can to our union family and any emergency evacuees. Mutual aid is a part of standing together in solidarity.

If you would be willing to host a person or family evacuating a wildfire area, whether in your home or outdoor area (parking space for an RV, space in your yard for a pet or farm animal), please fill out the form below to offer up your space.

If you are expecting to be evacuated and looking for a place to stay, whether you need a couch to sleep on, a place to park an RV, or you are evacuating pets and/or farm animals, fill out the short form below and we will be in touch with you if we can match you with someone offering shelter.

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OTHER SMOKE AND FIRE INFORMATION

If your workplace is closed due to smoke or wildfire:

• Please contact your Union Rep or the Rep of the Day line so they know about the situation and can help problem-solve.

• If appropriate, your employer should allow you to pick up hours at another work location that is safe. If management refuses to make this option available to you, contact your Union Rep for assistance with negotiating a good arrangement.

SMOKE:

• Washington State Air Quality Map

• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency wildfire smoke information

• Q&A on Wildfire Smoke from the WA Dept. of Health

• How to Keep Indoor Air Clean on Smoky Days from King County Public Health Dept.

WILDFIRE:

• Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildfire Information Page

From the DNR:

“Local emergency management offices, such as sheriff departments or local fire districts, order and communicate evacuations when needed and other emergency activities outside of the work to combat wildfire. If you find yourself in a wildfire emergency, always follow the directions of public safety personnel. In an evacuation, use the "P's of Preparedness" to focus your efforts.”

• How to Prepare for a Wildfire from Ready.gov, including the “5 Ps” to consider when preparing to evacuate:

• PEOPLE: People and, if safely possible, pets and other animals/ livestock

• PERSONAL NEEDS: Personal needs—such as clothes, food, water, first aid kit, cash, phones, and chargers— and items for people with disabilities and others with access and/or functional needs, such as older adults, children, and those with Limited English Proficiency

• PRICELESS ITEMS: Priceless items, including pictures, irreplaceable mementos, and other valuables

• PRESCRIPTIONS: Prescriptions, with dosages; medicines; medical equipment; batteries or power cords; eyeglasses; and hearing aids

• PAPERS: Papers, including important documents (hard copies and/or electronic copies saved on external hard drives or portable thumb drives)

Harrison/St Michael Agrees to Meet with UFCW 21 Leadership

UFCW 21 sent a letter to management detailing our demands during this outbreak, and have received a response from management that they would like to meet with UFCW 21 leadership as soon as this week. We will update everyone with whatever we learn.

We also wanted to report back some of the results of safety surveys many Harrison/St. Michael workers took last week. The surveys showed:

• 78% of survey takers have had an issue with damaged, untested, or inadequate supply of PPE

• 60% believe they had an exposure to a COVID-positive patient or coworker since Aug 4

• 50% of quarantined respondents were put on paid admin leave while quarantined

• 18% were quarantined while waiting for test results

• 43% learned of the outbreak from a coworker

• 30% learned of the outbreak from news media

• 21% learned of it from hospital management

In many departments, large amounts of new PPE showed up almost overnight last week, and while we are frustrated that it took this much hard work from union hospital staff to get protective equipment on the floor, we’re glad it has now been made available. If you continue to have issues with unsafe PPE, you can always send us a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

Members take action, Governor responds with mandated customer limits and other protections

Grocery employers’ failure to enforce social distancing requirements in their workplaces has led to member actions across the state. UFCW 21 has been advocating for stricter limits on customer counts backed by members’ dramatic stories, testimonials, and petitions. Fred Meyer workers have been especially concerned about the issue of customer counts because they say the company’s self-imposed limit of 50% was inadequate to begin with and rarely enforced. 

“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."  -S., Fred Meyer 

“There needs to be a limit on the customers allowed in the store at a time, masks and gloves should be required, and social distancing enforced.”  -Bella, Fred Meyer 

Governor Jay Inslee has responded to frontline grocery workers’ safety concerns by requiring retail stores to limit customer counts to 30% of maximum occupancy during Phase 2 of the State’s Covid-19 response plan. 

Thanks to workers speaking up, the state’s new rules include: 

• Limiting store occupancy to 30% of maximum building occupancy or lower.

• Distance markers to help maintain 6-foot social distancing in lines both inside and outside the store.

• Conspicuous signage at entrances and throughout the store alerting staff and customers to the required occupancy limits, six-foot physical distancing guidance, and policy on face coverings.

• Sneeze guards or other barriers wherever there’s potential interaction between employees that could be less than 6 feet.

• Frequently cleaning and sanitizing, especially high-touch areas.

• Maintaining minimum six-foot separation between all employees and customers in all interactions at all times.

• When that’s not feasible, they must use other prevention measures such as barriers or staggered breaks and shifts.

• Providing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles, face shields and face masks as appropriate or required to employees for the activity being performed. 

• Ensuring frequent and adequate hand washing with adequate maintenance of supplies. 

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Read the state’s full guidance here.

If your employer is not following these guidelines, you can report them directly to the State of Washington for violating the governor’s order. 

UFCW 21 Political Director Samantha Grad said the voice of frontline workers was essential in moving the Governor to action: “It only happened because UFCW 21 members were sharing what it’s like in their stores and why it’s dangerous for workers and customers. We are grateful to Governor Inslee for listening to workers and taking action to protect our communities.” 

Unions demand hazard pay for health care workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday,, April 7, 2020

CONTACT:

Amy Clark,
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
amyc@seiu1199nw.org
425-306-2061

Ruth Schubert, Washington State Nurses Association
rschubert@wsna.org 
206-713-7884

Sarah Cherin, UFCW 21
scherin@ufcw21.org
206-436-6580 

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Unions demand hazard pay for health care workers

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21 and WSNA call for pay increases for all frontline health care workers

Seattle, Wash.— Since even before the first COVID-19 death in late February, frontline health care workers have been working under extraordinarily difficult conditions, without the protective equipment they need to ensure their safety and the safety of their patients. In the face of a national shortage in respirators, masks and other protective equipment, nurses and other health care workers are reusing or going without equipment that is considered standard under normal circumstances. They are putting their lives on the line to save the lives of others.

In view of these extraordinary circumstances, the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 issued the following joint statement demanding hazard pay for health care workers as they face this pandemic: 

“Every day, we go to work to care for patients and keep our hospitals and health care facilities open, despite the fact that we still have not received enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep ourselves safe.”

“Nurses, techs, respiratory therapists, and service and maintenance workers in health facilities are putting our own lives on the line to respond to this crisis. Simply coming to work puts us at heightened risk. At the same time, we are dealing with new economic challenges and hardships brought on by the crisis.”

“UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA call on hospitals and health systems across Washington to recognize the heroic efforts of workers on the frontlines of this pandemic by providing hazard pay increases to all health care workers for the duration of the crisis.”

“We cannot put on a price on unsafe working conditions, and hazard pay does not make up for the lack of proper equipment and support. But it does reflect the lived reality that these workers are putting their health and their lives on the line to ensure that our entire state has a fighting chance to beat this pandemic.”

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About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all. 

About WSNA 

WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 19,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, schools and community and public health settings across the state. 

About UFCW 21 

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 45,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, and other industries in Washington state. 

An open letter to Governor Inslee, Secretary Wiesman, Vice Admiral Bono from Washington's front line Unions

April 1, 2020
RE: COVID-19 Transparency of Response Efforts and Working Conditions

Governor Inslee, Secretary Wiesman, Vice Admiral Bono,

We are writing to thank you for your leadership during this unprecedented crisis and to ask for your help to address a number of ongoing concerns. As unions representing workers who are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic, we are hearing from our members daily about their genuine commitment to serving our communities combined with their very real fears of getting sick, potentially infecting others, and of the critical need for their protection. As you well know, without our health care workers and emergency responders, we will fail to adequately respond in the days ahead.

We ask for your immediate help in the following areas:

1. Personal Protective Equipment and Supplies

Over the last several weeks, we have communicated our request for more transparency in the supply chain of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supplies. We have heard that the state has received some significant shipments of PPE from the Strategic National Stockpile and other sources. Yet, those supplies have not made it into the hands of frontline health care workers and emergency responders.

As the unions representing workers who so desperately need PPE for their own safety, we ask that you provide a weekly report of amount of PPE at the EOC, where it is going, and to whom it is being distributed (down to the facility level). We also ask that you request from the hospitals and health providers under the DOH fourpart triage list a weekly report of PPE on hand.

Those of us representing health care workers are hearing stories from our members of supplies of N-95 masks and other PPE being locked in cabinets rather than provided to those on the frontlines. In the law enforcement community, department leadership is taking PPE supplies from jail facilities to offer some limited resources to officers; other departments are directing supply officers to use “traditional purchasing chains” for needed PPE. Neither of these directives are sustainable or solution oriented. It is critical that we understand the supply chain and where PPE can be utilized by health care workers and first responders now, rather than being saved for later.

2. COVID-19 Testing

Many counties are prioritizing testing of health care workers and first responders; this is both appreciated and appropriate. However, we are not receiving updates from counties or the state on the number of tests provided to health care workers and first responders nor the results of those tests. We ask that you provide more transparency in testing, including a weekly report of a) how long it is taking to receive results, b) how many health care workers/first responders are being tested, and c) the results of those tests (i.e., number of positives and negatives). We also ask that the Governor’s Office inform EMS that first responders must be prioritized for testing, especially those with symptoms or workplace exposure. Test processing for first responders and health care workers should be expedited.

3. Use of Appropriate Leave

As our members are exposed to COVID-19 on the job, there is no system-level response. A standard statewide protocol for exposure response, testing, and quarantine is urgently needed. This should include the use of appropriate leave – frontline responders should not be required to use accrued paid time off, vacation, or sick leave benefits while on quarantine. We ask that a statewide standard for leave be adopted that includes use of paid administrative leave or workers’ compensation with paid administrative leave making up the difference – in each case, when quarantined, isolated, or treated, employees should be kept whole in terms of salary and benefits.

We also ask that the Governor clarify his earlier order regarding L&I claims filed by health care workers and first responders – our members need clarification that the decision to self-quarantine due to workplace exposure without the specific direction of a health care provider or employer administration is allowable. We strongly believe that presumption of workplace illness should be made for health care workers and first responders.

4. Protection of Vulnerable Workers

National COVID-19 guidelines tell us that those in vulnerable categories – those over 60 years of age, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions – need to be protected. In a recent press conference, Governor Inslee stated in the strongest terms that workers in these vulnerable categories or those who live with vulnerable people should be allowed to either work from home or take extended leave, continue to be paid, and have their job available to them when this crisis ends. While acknowledging that this policy did not yet carry the force of law, Governor Inslee clearly and unequivocally gave this direction to businesses.

Despite this, many of our members have been told they must remain on the job – including in emergency rooms and Intensive Care Units where the highest volume of COVID-19 patients are treated. Likewise, first responders within fire and law enforcement who fall into the category of vulnerable workers must also be given accommodation during this emergency. We ask that you make clear to our employers that vulnerable workers must be protected through reasonable and safe accommodation or by staying home.

We greatly appreciate our partnership with you during this crisis, and we look forward to working with you to ensure the above concerns are addressed post haste.

Sincerely,

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.  

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

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

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!

"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 

Grocery Store Workers’ Unions and Kroger Announce New Deal for Hazard Pay

For immediate release: March 20, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

Less than one week ago the grocery store workers’ unions of Washington (UFCW 21, 367 1439 and Teamsters 38) were able to reach agreements with Safeway/Albertsons and then Fred Meyer/QFC for additions to our contracts for more access to paid time off, flexible scheduling given child care challenges, and several other benefits to help with hours in the stores. Benefits have since expanded for UFCW members across the nation.

Also there has been a national announcement from Safeway of hazard pay. And we are happy that our work with Kroger over recent days has led their announcement for hazard pay for workers as well. The additional Kroger benefits include:

• A total Hazard Pay of $300 for those working fulltime

• A total Hazard Pay $150 for those working less than full time

• This hazard pay would be paid in early April

We are also hopeful to be able to announce as early as tomorrow some additional advances for local union grocery store workers and are calling on all grocery stores across the nation (union or not) to adopt all these worker and community protections to help us all during the coronavirus crisis.

For additional information on the coronavirus and our unions responses, please visit www.ufcw21.org/safety-at-work

Grocery Store Workers Demand Action: Sign the petition

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

UFCW 21 Working for Health in Our Workplaces and Our Communities

Many UFCW 21 members are serving critical roles during the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak here in Washington State.

Right now UFCW 21 members are:

• Providing and facilitating quality care for people ill with COVID-19

• Cleaning and disinfecting patients’ rooms

• Processing COVID-19 tests in labs

• Feeding our customers and making sure they have medicine and cleaning supplies in grocery stores, retail stores, and pharmacies

• Ensuring airport travelers are as comfortable as possible

Most of our jobs cannot be done from home and are essential to the safety and health of our communities.

Some of us are also quarantined after being exposed to COVID-19 in our workplaces or communities. We are worried about the health and safety of our families and communities and if we get sick how we will be able to support ourselves if we are unable to work. We share these concerns with millions of workers throughout our industries and our state.

Advocacy Efforts

UFCW 21 is working with state and local government to advocate for workplace safety and ensure access to the paid leave and benefits people need to safely stay home if they are in a high-risk group, sick, or under quarantine. We are also working to ensure necessary supports, such as child care, for health care, pharmacy and grocery store workers who remain at work on the front lines of the crisis, providing essential services to our community.

• We are working with public health agencies to maintain recommendations for the safest level of personal protective equipment for front-line health care workers. While this virus is still being understood, health care workers deserve the highest level of assurance that caring for patients will not put them, their families, and their community at unnecessary risk.

• We have worked with state agencies to increase workers’ access to benefits and leave when they are affected by this outbreak, and they are moving to do so by opening up access to workers compensation and unemployment insurance.

• We are working with city governments to prevent utility shut-offs for those impacted by the crisis, as Seattle is doing.

• We are working with city governments to prohibit or limit evictions during the crisis.

• We are asking our employers to follow public health guidelines for employers so that everyone who needs to work can be safe, and everyone who needs to stay home can do so. No one should be forced to choose between making rent and keeping their co-workers and community safe.

• We are working with public health authorities to ensure that all of our employers, including grocery stores and other retailers, understand and implement industry-specific best practices for reducing the risk of transmission.

• We were a leader on the citizen initiative that passed paid sick leave statewide in our state, meaning that nearly a million workers in Washington have paid sick leave who did not have it before.

Here is what you can do:

Practice Zero Tolerance for Discrimination

UFCW 21 Asian Pacific Islander (API) members and community are being targeted. We at UFCW 21 have no tolerance for discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. There is no basis for assuming someone’s risk of illness or exposure based on their race, nationality, language, or country of origin. Misinformation and discrimination is harmful and makes it harder to contain this virus that threatens us all. For resources on how to prevent and respond to discrimination, go to Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance or King County Public Health.

Take Care of Yourself

We’re all doing our part to be healthy and safe. Please help us, and all workers who serve the public, by staying home when you are ill, alerting your health care provider if you are planning to come to a clinic or hospital with COVID-19 symptoms, practicing social distancing and following all public health recommendations.

Use your Union Power to protect yourself, your co-workers, and our community

As union workers we have the right and responsibility to speak up for health protections that will make us and our community safer.

Do you feel unsafe at work?

Do you have questions about what your employer and co-workers should be doing to minimize risk?

Do you feel under pressure to put your health at risk in order to protect your income during this crisis?

March 3 update for Members on Coronavirus

UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther with PCC members Atsuko and Jeanett in Edmonds to talk about their upcoming bargain and discuss how the Novel Coronavirus outbreak is impacting members at work.

• We are in active communication with state and county officials to get the most up-to-date information we need to help keep members safe.

• We have filed information requests with our health care employers to ensure they are following guidelines to keep members safe at work.

• We are in discussions with other employers about best practices for public health and workplace safety to ensure all members are safe at work.

• We are identifying any areas we need to demand to bargain over the impacts of this outbreak, and are making plans for long-term effects of an outbreak in our workplaces.

• UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther visited members this morning to answer questions and discuss how the coronavirus is impacting workplaces.

Remember: utilize the leave language and health care you’ve bargained for, and contact your Shop Steward or Union Rep for any support you need to stay safe and keep your workplace safe, including if you face any discipline related to the impacts of this outbreak.

More information and resources:

UFCW 21 Update for Members on the Coronavirus Outbreak

UFCW 21 Update for Members on the Coronavirus Outbreak

As you have likely heard in the news, there is an outbreak of respiratory disease (COVID-19) caused by a new coronavirus in several countries, including the United States. King County has some confirmed cases of this disease, including at health care facilities where UFCW 21 members work. You can find updated information about the virus at the Washington State Department of Health and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have questions about what is happening in Washington, how the virus is spread and what to do if you have symptoms, please call the Washington State hotline at 1-800-525-0127 and press #. (This hotline can experience high traffic, so try calling back later if it is temporarily unavailable.)

If you are in King County and believe you were exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, or if you're a healthcare provider with questions about COVID-19, contact our novel coronavirus call center: 206-477-3977. The call center will be open daily from 8 AM to 7 PM PST.

One of the most important ways we can prevent the spread of this illness is to stay home from work if you are feeling ill. If you have any questions about your right to stay home from work, contact your Union Rep or the Rep of the Day immediately. You can look up your contract and your Union Rep here. Our office number is: 1-800-732-1188.

We are communicating the importance of following the CDC’s public-health guidelines to our employers, which include actively encouraging sick employees to stay home, being flexible with sick leave policy, educating workers about respiratory etiquette and hygiene, providing resources including tissues and hand sanitizer, and routinely cleaning the workplace.

More information is below:

1. Basic Information about the coronavirus

2. What to do if you feel sick

3. What to do if you work in health care (patient care and EVS)

4. What to do if you work with the general public (grocery, retail, pharmacy, others)

5. Information for employers

BASIC INFORMATION:

At this time (March 2, 2020) King County says the risk of exposure is increasing for people who live in our area, though it is still relatively low. Those at elevated risk of exposure are:

• Health care workers caring for patients with COVID-19

• Those who have had close contact with persons with COVID-19

• Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring

The symptoms of COVID-19 appear to be fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The CDC has instructions for preventing the spread of this virus, which include staying home when you are sick, avoiding close contact with people who are sick; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth; frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and more basic prevention measures.

King County Department of Health has prepared a Novel Coronavirus Factsheet in multiple languages:

• English: Novel Coronavirus Fact Sheet (PDF)

• Amharic: ኖቭል ኮሮናቫይረስ (PDF)

• Chinese Simplified: 新型冠状病毒 (PDF)

• Chinese Traditional: 新型冠狀病毒 (PDF)

• Khmer: វីរុសកូរ៉ូណាប្រភេទថ្មី (PDF)

• Korean: 신종 코로나바이러스 (PDF)

• Russian: Новый штамм коронавируса (PDF)

• Somali: Caabuqa Xalfaafka Wadnaha (PDF)

• Spanish: Nuevo coronavirus (PDF)

• Thai: ไวรัสโคโรนาสายพันธุ์ใหม (PDF)

• Vietnamese: Vi-rút Corona Mới (PDF)

If you have further questions, call the state hotline at call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.

IF YOU FEEL SICK:

• If you feel sick, especially if you have a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, stay home and contact your medical provider or the state Department of Health hotline, 1-800-525-0127, and press #.

• If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus, follow the CDC’s steps to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community.

• Most workers in Washington are covered by the state law mandating access to paid sick days, and you may be eligible for more sick leave depending on your union contract.

• We also have a Paid Family Medical Leave program in Washington, so there is much less need to save up sick time for chronic or extended illness or upcoming parental leave.

• If you do not have paid sick leave left but will not be out long enough to qualify for extended leave, work with your manager and your Union Rep to stay home so you can protect yourself, your coworkers, and your community.

IF YOU WORK IN HEALTH CARE:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a coronavirus website with lots of updated guidance for health care workers, including EVS workers, at the CDC’s Coronavirus website. These include:

• What healthcare personnel should know about caring for patients

• Frequently Asked Questions for health care providers

• Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations

If you or a coworker are quarantined, please contact your Union Rep as soon as you can. We are talking with state offices right now about your potential access to benefits during a quarantine.

The Department of Health is reminding everyone that stigma will not help fight this illness—we do not make determinations of risk based on race, nationality, or ethnicity.

If you or a coworker need this information in another language, please contact your Union Rep.

IF YOU WORK WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC

• It is important that you stay home if you feel sick, especially if you experience illness with fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

• Follow the CDC’s guidelines to prevent the spread of this illness.

• Grocery, retail, and pharmacy workers may see or have already seen a run on supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and bottled water.

IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER:

The CDC is offering very clear public-health guidelines for employers during this outbreak, including:

• Actively encouraging sick employees to stay home

• Ensuring that your sick leave policies are flexible

• Not requiring a doctor’s note for employees who are sick

• Routinely cleaning all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace

• Emphasizing good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene and providing supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer