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

Read the whole letter here:

December 15, 2020

Dear Washington State Hospital Administrators:

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

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

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

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

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

Jay Inslee Governor

Hospital COVID-19 Response Report Card

If you work in a hospital, tell us how your workplace is responding to COVID-19 safety standards. 

Bernie Sanders Joins UFCW 21 and UFCW 7 demanding Safer Stores and Fair Compensation For Essential Grocery Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2020

Contacts: 
Tom Geiger | tgeiger@ufcw21.org | 206-604-3421
Bridget Bartol | bbartol@skdknick.com | 954-594-0689

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Joins UFCW Local 7 and Local 21 in Letter to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen Demanding Safer Stores and Fair Compensation For Essential Grocery Workers

Unions representing 42,000 Essential Grocery Workers in Colorado, Wyoming & Washington State Urge Kroger To Reinstate Hero Pay of $2/Hour In Pandemic

DENVER – At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kroger Co. implemented a Hero Pay bonus of $2/hour for Essential Grocery Workers, calling grocery workers “heroes” because of their extraordinary sacrifice and dedication to the company and its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 17, 2020, the company stripped away the Hero Pay bonus program and has since relaxed safety protocols in stores. Seven months later, COVID-19 cases are higher than ever before throughout the country, yet Kroger’s employees who risk their health at work went from being treated as Heroes to Zeros by the company.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 of Colorado and Wyoming, and Faye Guenther, President of UFCW Local 21 of Washington State, which together represent 42,000 Essential Grocery Workers, sent a letter to Kroger Co. CEO Rodney McMullen, urging him to ensure that workplaces are safe and to reinstate the $2/hr. Hero Pay bonus for all grocery workers across the country. 

An excerpt from the letter below:

“You often mention your experience as a stock boy to reaffirm to the public and shareholders that you're committed to seeing things through your customers' eyes. The time has come for you to see the risks through the eyes of your workers. Your inaction only increases the fear and anxiety that our members deal with as they walk into work each day.

“Hundreds of thousands of UFCW members work to keep YOUR stores clean, YOUR shelves stocked, and YOUR business running. Their work has enabled the large increases in sales and higher profits you've reaped since the pandemic began. Yet, they are working in fear, they are working in danger, and they are working without adequate support and respect from their employer, Kroger. They are risking their health and that of their families to keep America's food supply chain running and the country fed.  It is time that YOU take care of Kroger's frontline Essential Workers like they are taking care of your customers.”

A PDF of the letter can be found HERE, and the text of the letter is below: 

December 14, 2020

Dear Mr. McMullen,

We write to you as UFCW Local Union presidents, representing 30,000 Essential Workers at Kroger Co. stores across Colorado, Wyoming, and Washington State. Together with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), we hope and expect you are taking substantial time to work with the current and incoming administration to ensure that your grocery store Essential Workers are a priority for a COVID-19 vaccination. We write today to urge you to take the necessary and responsible steps to improve stores' safety and compensate Kroger Essential Workers fairly by immediately reinstating Hero Pay ($2/hr.) to all workers across the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our communities and stores more than ever and, as we navigate this especially hazardous winter season, it is imperative to recognize the dangers Essential Grocery Store Workers face. Our members, your employees, are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, yet these heroes are being denied the Hero Pay you awarded them at the beginning of the pandemic. Kroger's employees went from Heroes to Zeros. As we continue to witness a severe and alarming increase in worker case numbers, store safety must significantly improve to stop the spread. Preventive measures include enforcing mask requirements, reinstating and enforcing strict shopper limits to allow social distancing for all in the stores, improved staffing on all shifts so there is sufficient coverage to enable all workers to take COVID-19 sanitation breaks where they can conduct extra hand-washing and have allotted times to wipe and disinfect all areas of the store.

As a company, you initially recognized the dangers of this virus, implementing a Kroger Hero Pay bonus of $2/hr. in March, you coordinated better staffing for the extra work needed to clean stores, allowing more frequent breaks to wash hands and other safety measures. Yet, case numbers and deaths have risen exponentially since you prematurely claimed that we were "beginning to see a return to normal," and you ill-advisedly relaxed safety protocols and stripped away hazard pay on May 17, 2020. These decisions blatantly disregarded the dangers Essential Grocery Store Workers faced, not just by going into work but also by weakening them financially when dealing with COVID-related hardships, such as lack of childcare due to homeschooling, sick relatives, and additional medical costs.

Since Kroger stripped away Hero Pay, COVID-19 infections among these Essential Grocery Store Workers have exploded among our members. For example, there have been 491 positive cases, a 692% increase, and three deaths, among Local 7 members alone: James McKay, Karen Haws, and Randy Narvaez. As recent COVID cases in Washington have reached record levels, we see cases of grocery workers on a significant rise, and several outbreaks have been reported in just the last two weeks. In some cases, these outbreaks include more than a dozen cases in only one store.

Underneath those numbers, we see the threat to communities of color, which make up a majority (50%) of our nation's Essential Workers-- and an even more significant proportion of the food and agriculture workforce.

You often mention your experience as a stock boy to reaffirm to the public and shareholders that you're committed to seeing things through your customers' eyes. The time has come for you to see the risks through the eyes of your workers. Your inaction only increases the fear and anxiety that our members deal with as they walk into work each day.

Hundreds of thousands of UFCW members work to keep YOUR stores clean, YOUR shelves stocked, and YOUR business running. Their work has enabled the large increases in sales and higher profits you've reaped since the pandemic began. Yet, they are working in fear, they are working in danger, and they are working without adequate support and respect from their employer, Kroger. They are risking their health and that of their families to keep America's food supply chain running and the country fed.  It is time that YOU take care of Kroger's frontline Essential Workers like they are taking care of your customers.

Every day wasted is another day our members risk contracting COVID-19 at a Kroger store. Another day, our members are not paid fairly for the dangers they face conducting essential work. Kroger must reinstate Hero Pay immediately. Kroger should be a leader by ensuring their profits, made possible by Kroger's employees, are at least partially used to keep them and our shoppers safe and secure.

That is why we call on you, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen, to reinstate Hero pay immediately because, as you stated, Essential Grocery Store Workers are heroes. They were heroes at the beginning of the pandemic, and they continue to be the unsung heroes keeping Kroger and the country moving forward.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders                                   

Kim Cordova, UFCW Local 7 President

Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 President 

# # #  

Local 7, the largest Union in Colorado, is affiliated with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents over 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, and is one of the largest private sector Unions in North America. UFCW members work in a wide range of industries, including retail food, food processing, agriculture, retail sales, and health care. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers in grocery store, retail, health care and other industry jobs across the state of Washington

UFCW 21 PRESS ADVISORY: Changes Needed to Make Grocery Stores Safer

UFCW 21 PRESS ADVISORY
For Immediate Release: December 9, 2020  -- 6 PM
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

Outbreak at Burien Fred Meyer and other Stores Raise Levels of Concerns for Essential Workers and Shoppers

WHO:   Top officers of UFCW 21 and members from the store tell our story. We will be joined by Teamsters 38.

WHAT: Online ZOOM press conference to raise concerns, present the facts, and propose solutions to make shoppers and workers safer. We are calling on grocery stores to immediately put these better protocols in place and enforce them, and we are calling on government agencies to better ensure this takes place. We will take questions from the press.

WHEN:  Thursday, December 10 at 9:30 AM Pacific

IF YOU MISSED THE CALL: You can watch a complete recording of the press conference here. There is also a recording available for download here.

Background: Early in the pandemic there appeared to be a willingness by grocery store chains to better prioritize safety with the looming pandemic and change the way of doing business. Workers’ wages were raised by $2/hour which at least helped a little to make people working in the store feel a bit more appreciated. Increased staff was scheduled to handle the additional work of sanitization, cleaning carts, wiping down check-out stands as well as to allow for workers to rest, take more frequent breaks and wash hands more often. Even with those changes, serious problems persisted with dire consequences as members got worn out and some contracted COVID 19.

Unfortunately, by early summer, even as social restrictions were eased and more people were shopping, it had become clear that as grocery store sales were increasing, as revenues and profits went up, and as stock holder dividend pay outs were made, the grocery store chains’ practices to protect workers and shoppers slipped backward:

       -    workers’ pay was cut by $2/hour

       -    workers reported fewer staff to cover shifts

       -    mask requirement orders were not strictly enforced by management

       -    lax enforcement of standards to limit the number of shoppers in the store is resulting in crowded stores and insufficient social distancing

       -    reduced cleaning and other practices that would help clean and disinfect stores

       -    recently, the problems have only gotten worse.

UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers in grocery store, retail, health care and other industry jobs across the state of Washington.

Press Advisory: Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers Speak Out for Hazard Pay, Staffing and Safety

Advisory

For immediate release: Monday November 23, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger. 206-604-3421

Puget Sound Grocery Store Workers Speak Out for Hazard Pay, Staffing and Safety

Thank you to all who attended, if you missed this online webinar where unionized grocery store workers share their experiences and feelings about improved safety and reinstating hazard pay you can watch it here.

Grocery store workers here in Washington and around the nation continue to go to work every day, risking exposure to the deadliest virus in over one hundred years. Despite these risks and the dramatic increase in sales and profits that grocery stores have recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, the hazard pay that had been put in place in March was cut by early summer. Workers are also feeling a lack of sufficient staffing at a time when the need for sanitizing and breaks are paramount. Unionized workers have continued to press for the hazard pay and improved safety procedures. With the recent new spikes of exposure, positive cases and deaths, workers are re-doubling efforts for safety, staffing and hazard pay.

Background:

Nine months into the pandemic front line workers like grocery store workers are still going to work every day, exposed to the virus and concerned with safety.  Early on during the pandemic, many stores like Safeway, QFC and Fred Meyer began paying workers an additional $2 an hour in hazard pay. In addition, we won increased safety protocols grocery store workers had been demanding, such as frequent disinfecting, wiping down carts and check-out stands, installing plexiglass, limiting the number of people inside the store to be able to allow shoppers to socially distance, asking shoppers to wear masks and allowing workers to take frequent breaks to wash hands and maybe get some fresh air.

At the very beginning of March 2020 our nation had its second recorded death from Covid. By the end of that month, the death toll had surpassed 1,500. By the early summer, in all counts, the pandemic had already taken a massive toll, was still out of control, and there was no end in sight. However, while profits and sales at grocery stores soared, workers’ hazard pay was inexplicably cut.  Workers who continued to do essential and hazardous work were apparently not worth the extra $2 an hour. Unionized workers’ protests delayed the pay cuts in some places for a month, but by mid-summer, it was all taken away.

Fast forward to today: our nation has recorded over a quarter million COVID deaths. The slow-down in daily rates of infection and deaths has now turned around, with spikes and new records set throughout the month of November. Workers continue to be exposed, but safety protocols in many stores seem to have become more lax, and reduced staffing has made it very difficult to take the time to do the extra work required to disinfect the store, check-out stations and carts, as well as making it hard to take more frequent rest breaks to wash hands and get fresh air. And the hazard pay that was cut from workers’ weekly checks has still never been reinstated.

Unionized grocery store workers in Washington and around the nation this week are calling out for improved safety, including safer staffing, and a reinstatement of hazard pay for hazardous work.

Grocery Store Workers speak out:

"As a grocery cashier, at least at my store, the best analogy I can give you is that every day is like that Snowmageddon period, where we had lines as far back as we could see, and we didn’t have enough cashiers. Customers are so used to it that they don’t even think about complaining, and the corporate heads think they can get by with it. It’s not because they can’t hire enough people; they’ve hired plenty of people. They just want to have a minimum crew and maximum profits. So we get worked to death because there’s fewer of us doing the work of many.  - Wil Peterson, 17-year Kroger employee 

"To my customers, I say you don’t need to be accepting these long lines. We have 13 check stands in my store. Today there were only 2 cash registers open. This is ridiculous. We’re speaking up about it. We’re working through our union to get a safer store. The way it is now means more strain on everybody — more work for us, customers in the store longer, backed up in the aisles, even though experts seem to say people should keep their shopping trips to 30 minutes. How can they do that if corporate isn’t listening to them and to us?" - Wil Peterson, 17-year Kroger employee 

“I just also want the company to work to keep me safe, and not run me into the ground. Our work is a lot more stressful than it used to be. In our department, we’ve grown in size but we’ve grown even more in how many orders are coming in. Everyone is tired. Everyone is getting worn down. Sections of the store can get so crowded, it’s impossible to keep social distancing and still meet our timelines for fulfilling orders. And I’m very conscious of the risk I’m exposed to. My partner is a nurse, and we have a lot more potential exposure than the people we know who can work from home. That risk is something that I don’t get to leave behind when I leave work—I carry it home with me. My job takes up so much more space in my life now.

On top of all this, on top of them cutting the hazard pay we were getting at the beginning of the pandemic, we’re getting squeezed to be more productive. We push trolleys with the orders we’re preparing all around the store, and they just increased the capacity of those trolleys by 50%. Now they’re so big we can’t see past them around corners, and they’re 50% heavier to push around all day. Lately, the only things any of us are talking about is how tired and sore we are. People are saying they don’t know how much longer they can stay. We are working on these issues through our union, but if our employers can’t commit to keeping us safe, we’re going to lose people who are experienced, who know how to do this work and care about it.” - Amanda, QFC Clicklist

“Through all of this, wanting to give good service, keep our workplace safe for ourselves and our customers, we’re getting nothing from our employers. We got a small amount of hazard pay in the spring and then it was taken away, just like that. They just put $100 on our Advantage cards recently as a little bonus, and it feels like a slap in the face. “

Click here to file a safety report on your neighborhood store and help keep our Grocery Store Workers and our Communities safe.

“We’re back in the throes of it all. We’re here working on the front lines and we don’t feel appreciated. It’s not fair. I’m pissed off. I’m tired. My family’s health care depends on this job. I’m a cancer survivor and I’ve fought to maintain our great union health care for years, I’m proud to work here. I love my customers, but this is so hard. “

“We need hazard pay. We need fully staffed stores so we can keep ourselves and our customers safe. We need respect from our employers—we’re the ones running these stores every day. “ -Amy, QFC

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

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

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

YOUR EMPLOYER SHOULD:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting

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

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

  • Provide appropriate PPE and training for anyone using these chemicals

•  Notify UFCW 21 of a COVID case in the workplace

YOU AND YOUR COWORKERS SHOULD:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Grocery Store Workers and Community Leaders Condemn Fred Meyer and QFC Ban on Black Lives Matter Insignia

For Immediate release: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 
Contact:  Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

Grocery Store Workers and Community Leaders Condemn Fred Meyer and QFC Ban on Black Lives Matter Insignia 

Puget Sound-area retail and grocery store workers, with the full backing of their union (UFCW 21), launched a campaign today calling on Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and QFC to reverse the companies’ ban on employees wearing Black Lives Matter buttons at work. 

Over recent weeks, management has begun ordering workers to remove “Black Lives Matter” buttons distributed by the UFCW 21. 

UFCW 21, the union which represents over 13,000 workers at Puget Sound-area Fred Meyer and QFC stores, says the ban violates workers’ rights under the companies’ union contracts and federal labor law. 

This morning, after weeks of attempts to resolve the problem internally, UFCW 21 filed formal grievances with the companies, as well as an unfair labor practice charge under federal labor law.  

UFCW 21 and community leaders are also calling on supporters to sign an online petition to the companies (see: tinyurl.com/BLMatKroger). 

Everett Fred Meyer worker Shawntia Cunningham, who is Black, explained why she is fighting for her right to wear the button: “I get pulled over by cops for having a nice car to the point that my husband, who is white, has to drive so I can just feel safe. I have been called the ‘N’ word by customers at my store a few times. I need this company to respect us as human beings and to respect our rights as workers. I need Fred Meyer and QFC and all Kroger to see that Black lives really do matter.” 

UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther said: “Systemic racism is real and it negatively impacts thousands of our members on the job and in the community. We are proud of our members who are standing up to say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and we will support their right to do so with every tool available to us.” 

The campaign is drawing support from area labor and civil rights leaders. Gabriel Prawl, Sr., A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) Seattle Chapter President, today called on Fred Meyer and QFC to reconsider the ban on Black Lives Matter and meet with Black workers and community leaders to address “ongoing racist issues in the retail environment.” 

April Sims, Secretary Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO offered full support: “Solidarity among working people is the foundation of the labor movement, and these workers are living that commitment by wearing Black Lives Matter buttons. These brave workers are backed by the 550,000-person strong labor movement of Washington state, and we call on these companies to reverse their decision to prioritize the feelings of racists over the humanity of their Black and Brown employees and customers.” 

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.

National Week of Action for Hazard Pay for Essential Workers

When the COVID-19 outbreak hit, our members across industries felt it immediately—especially in frontline industries like health care and grocery stores.

We continue to believe that all essential workers deserve hazard pay during this pandemic.

UFCW has been advocating for employer-paid hazard pay as well as federal support for essential workers throughout this pandemic. Hazard pay is intended to compensate people for hazardous work duties, and all essential workers have had elevated risk added to their work lives during this crisis. We also believe many workers have new job duties related to sanitizing, infection control, protective equipment, chemical use, and handling ever-evolving public health recommendations and government mandates that change nearly everything we do. These new duties and the reminder of the centrality of our work deserves recognition that goes well beyond thank-you commercials.

After workers spoke up about what we were facing on the job and started organizing for hazard pay, many grocery employers started paying it in various forms, most commonly $2/hour in extra wages. “We recognize that this crisis is far from over,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen wrote to workers in mid-April. “After reflecting on feedback from you, we want to further acknowledge you for your hard work to date as well as the work yet to come.” But by mid-May, Kroger had cut hazard pay, and in mid-June Safeway/Albertsons followed suit. Other smaller local chains have ended hazard pay or never started it in the first place. And health care workers facing daily exposure to COVID patients have been demanding hazard pay from early on in this once-in-a-century pandemic, with very little action from health care employers.

We know this crisis is still far from over. This summer we’ve started giving employers more of the kind of “feedback” that really moves corporate offices—union grievances, public pressure, and essential workers and our community coming together to say enough is enough.

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NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION FOR HAZARD PAY

UFCW essential workers across the country are taking action next week to stand up for hazard pay. You can participate in this week of action!

Below, click the button to record a video message explaining why hazard pay is important to you, and what it’s like working through a pandemic. Whether it’s cracked skin and repetitive stress injuries from constant sanitizing and disinfecting, working in health care without adequate PPE, or representing an industry that hasn’t been in the news as much but is still essential—laundries, food processing, cannabis, retail, etc! Why do we need hazard pay? Let’s tell the public:

If you’d like to participate further in the national week of action for hazard pay, contact your Union Rep.

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HAZARD PAY GRIEVANCES FILED

In July, UFCW 21 filed grievances over Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Safeway, Haggen, and PCC’s cutting of our hazard pay. Here’s an excerpt of what we said in our grievance:

As you know, the Employer paid Hazard or Appreciation pay to bargaining unit employees for at least two reasons. First, it recognized Local 21 members have been working in the stores under constant threat of exposure to the deadly COVID-19 virus. Second, the Employer relies on Local 21 members to perform additional and/or different job functions to allow customers to continue shopping uninterrupted during pandemic conditions.

Both conditions mentioned above continue to persist today. Nevertheless, the Employer unilaterally decided to eliminate or modify the Hazard/Appreciation pay. In doing so, Local 21 believes the Employer has violated numerous terms of the parties' labor agreements, including, but not limited to the Recognition, Wage classification provisions and Appendices, and Just Cause.

In the coming weeks there will be plenty of opportunities to support this grievance and take action to show employers that we are all paying close attention to their next steps and we are not taking no for an answer.

Kroger Mandates Masks — UFCW 21 Members Demand Reinstatement of Hazard Pay

UFCW 21 members at Kroger stores, including the Auburn Fred Meyer workers pictured above, have been protesting the company’s pay cuts with sign actions at their stores.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union called Kroger’s decision to require that customers wear masks “long overdue.”  UFCW has been demanding a mask mandate since early in the pandemic, and here in Washington UFCW 21 members were central to the governor’s decision to require that customers wear masks in stores and public places to help make our workplaces safer and prevent spread of COVID-19.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone has called on all grocers and retailers to implement mask requirements and said they should be enforced by “trained professionals, not retail workers already stretched thin during this crisis.”

Meanwhile, UFCW 21 members at Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Western Washington are demanding that Kroger reinstate the $2/hour hazard pay that it terminated in May.

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Eli Campbell, who works in grocery at the Bakerview Fred Meyer in Bellingham spoke out against Kroger’s termination of hazard pay, saying: “The pandemic is still here. Our added responsibilities for cleaning and sanitation remain, and so does the risk.”

“Our sales are amazing. We have been selling so much,” said Andrenna Caballero, an Assistant Deli Manager at the Port Hadlock QFC. “That's why when we were told our hero pay was going away and our hours were going to be cut we were all so angry.”

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UFCW 21 members at Kroger stores, including the Auburn Fred Meyer workers pictured above, have been protesting the company’s pay cuts with sign actions at their stores.

UFCW says 278 members have died from COVID-19 in the first 100 days of the pandemic, and 44,419 have been exposed or infected.

If you need signs for your store, contact your rep.

July 13 Telephone Town Hall Calls

UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall Monday, July 13 at 6:30 PM 
Call-in Phone Number:  888-652-0386 Meeting ID: 4947 

TO JOIN: This Monday, July 13, listen for a phone call from UFCW 21 between 6:30 and 6:40 pm. (Note that sometimes this call appears on phones as “potential spam.”) If you miss the call or don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number above to join the call at any time. 

Health Care UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall Monday, July 13 at 7:30 PM 
Call-in Phone Number:  888-652-2664  Meeting ID: 4948 

TO JOIN THE CALL: This Monday, July 13, listen for a phone call from UFCW 21 between 7:30 and 7:40 pm. (Note that sometimes this call appears on phones as “potential spam.”) If you miss the call or don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number above to join the call at any time. 

Governor Announces Statewide Mask Mandate

Many UFCW 21 members have been wearing masks to work for months already, but the public has not been required to do so. We wear masks to protect our customers, patients, and each other, but we know masks are most effective when everyone is wearing them. That’s why UFCW 21 members have been pushing for the public to be required to wear masks when they visit our workplaces—like stores, pharmacies, and clinics.

This week the governor has listened to essential workers and issued a mandate that everyone wear face coverings when going out in public. We know we had an impact, because members have been demanding this for months and that has been repeatedly passed on to state officials. When we speak up together, we make change. UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther joined Governor Inslee for a press conference announcing this safety proclamation on Tuesday, June 23.

Meanwhile, Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, and Haggen have cut hazard pay for front-line grocery store workers. Employers should be implementing hazard pay for all essential workers immediately. Get in touch with your Shop Steward or Union Rep to get involved in actions for hazard pay at your workplace.

Read the Governor’s proclamation about mask-wearing here:

Beginning June 26, every Washingtonian in an indoor public space, or in an outside public space when unable to physically distance from others, will be legally required to wear a face covering…

Telephone Town Hall Monday June 15

Special Opportunity for Telephone Town Hall Monday June 15 at 6:30 PM

Many workplaces are as stressful or even more stressful than they have ever been before. It can impact our health at work and at home. We want to hear about your concerns and help answer your questions.

As you are aware, we have been doing Telephone Town Halls for the past three months to keep members informed and answer questions. Next week, on Monday June 15th at 6:30 PM we are inviting all members to join our call with our special guests – expert professional nurses who can help us learn how to keep ourselves mentally and emotionally safe and sound during the ongoing crisis.

Please call in to the Town Hall, Monday at 6:30.

888-652-0380
Meeting ID: 4922

Over the coming days we would love to hear from you about questions you may have so we can prepare for the call. Reply to this email and let us know:

• How have the stresses in your workplaces changed as a result of more workload and fewer staff or more pressures?

• How are levels of anxiety about furloughs or reduced hours leading to less take home pay?

• As the economy opens up and Stay at Home orders are relaxed, are you at all concerned about how this could increase your exposure to COVID 19? If yes, how does that make you feel and would you like to learn more about how to address that fear and anxiety?

• Other concerns you have questions about that you would like to hear answers to?

On top of the COVID 19 pandemic, the recent killing of George Floyd has brought to the surface long-standing racial injustices that have been part of the United States since before we were a nation. We as a union have been and are continuing to work at becoming an anti-racist organization and are also working on creating systemic changes in our workplaces and society so all workers have equal opportunities for employment that is safe and has the benefits of a union.

On Monday we will be joined by two professional nurses to answer your questions live:

Stephen Mitchell, RN, BSN, MPA: Stephen was born and raised in the Seattle area and went to nursing school at Seattle University.  He has been a nurse for more than 10 years and most of that time he has worked in mental health nursing in a variety of settings and facilities around the Puget Sound. In his role as the mental health nurse for the Sound Trust Mobile Care Coordinator Program, Stephen supports members through the often complex world of mental health as well as members struggling with and recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

Andy (Andrea) Votendahl, RN, BSN:  Andy is also a native Seattleite, having lived and worked here all her life.  She has been a nurse for more than 28 years in a variety of roles.  Immediately prior to joining the Mobile Care Coordinator team at Sound Trust, Andy worked as an organizer representing nurses and other healthcare workers at local area hospitals including Swedish Medical Center and Harborview, where she was the immigrant rights organizer. Andy has taken and led various trainings on structural racism and antiracism work, and focuses right now on coordinating care with members who have acute medical needs.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and your joining the call on Monday the 15th at 6:30 PM. Again, the call in number is:

888-652-0380
Meeting ID: 4922

Join us for UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall calls

You’re invited to call into our weekly Telephone Town Hall using the call-in information below: 

Monday, June 8 at 6:30 PM 

Call-in Phone Number: 888-652-0380 
Meeting ID: 4899 

Health Care:

Monday, June 8 at 7:30 PM 

Call-in Phone Number: 888-652-0383 
Meeting ID: 4900 

Hudson & Dufry - COVID-19 and Resources Update

Hello All, 

This is Monica, your Union Rep with UFCW 21. We hope everyone is staying safe and is taking care of your families during this time. We wanted to update you on some important information regarding layoff, returning to work, and your benefits:

1. Your Healthcare premiums will continue to be paid for another month. Hudson has agreed to continue to pay healthcare premiums for all laid off UFCW21 members until June 30, 2020. Any questions about your Healthcare benefits, please call the Sound Health and Wellness Trust at 206-282-4500. 

2. Members will slowly start returning to work. Hudson is beginning to call members by seniority to offer the opportunity to return to work. This will be a gradual process of bringing workers back to work based on the number of stores Hudson opens, the hours of operation, and the number of travelers at the Airport. 

3. Return calls or texts to Hudson right away. When you receive a call from Hudson about opportunity to return to work, please respond within 48 hours by phone, text, or email.

4. Your right to say “yes” or “pass” on returning to work now. You have the right to “pass” on returning to work up to 2 times. If you are unable to return to work, you will be called again when there is a second opportunity. If you are offered a second opportunity and “pass again”, then you will move to the bottom of the recall list. You may be offered one more opportunity to return to work if there is work available. Any questions about your rights if you are “at-risk” due to age or health conditions, including pregnancy, please give me a call so that we can talk about protected leave of absence. 

5. You have retirement benefits! Your Retirement Benefits are through Western Employee Benefits Plan. Hudson contributes $0.20/hr for every hour you work and you may also make contributions. Many Hudson members are not receiving information about your retirement because your contact information is not up to date. Please call  EB Management, the Administration Office, at 1-800-524-4852 to give them your correct contact information. You may also request money from your retirement account if you are experiencing a Covid-19 related hardship. 

6. Become a Leader in your Union! As everyone begins to return to work, it’s more important than ever that there are stewards and leaders in every concourse of the airport. We can keep each other safe and knowledgeable about our rights on the job. If you would like to get involved in helping your coworkers and building a strong voice for Hudson and Dufry workers at the airport, please let me know and we can schedule a training. 

Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future!

In solidarity, 

Monica Smith, Union Representative

206-436-6524

---

Hudson and Dufry - Accessing Your Union Retirement Benefits

Western Employees Benefit Plan

Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free currently contribute $0.20/hour into this retirement plan for you.  

COVID-19 HARDSHIP DISTRIBUTION:  You can request your account balance from this Plan if you are experiencing a COVID-19 related hardship.  You do not need to terminate employment with Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free

• Acceptable documentation include:

  • Doctor’s note stating participant, spouse or dependent has been diagnosed with COVID-19

  • Notice or letter from employer of layoff, furlough or reduced hours for participant 

  • Copy of unemployment application

DISTRIBUTION:  You can request your account balance from this Plan if:

• You are 60 years old or older.  You do not need to terminate employment with Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free

• You are 55 years or older AND terminate covered employment.

• You are totally and permanently disabled as determined by the Trustees and the disability has existed for 3 months. 

• You terminate employment complete a 6-month waiting period following the termination. 

HARDSHIP:  If you are still employed and do not qualify to take a distribution from the Plan, you may be eligible for a Hardship Withdrawal if:

• You need the distribution to prevent your eviction or to prevent foreclosure on your mortgage. The eviction or foreclosure must be related to your principal residence. 

• You need the distribution to pay unpaid medical expenses for yourself, your spouse or any dependent. 

• You need the distribution to pay for the purchase of your principal residence. You must use the hardship distribution for the purchase of your principal residence. You may not receive a hardship distribution solely to make mortgage payments. 

• You need the distribution to pay tuition and related educational fees (including room and board) for the post-secondary education of yourself, your spouse, your children, or other dependent. You may take a hardship distribution to cover up to 12 months of tuition and related fees. 

• You need the distribution to pay funeral or burial expenses for your deceased parent, spouse, child or dependent. 

(6) You need the distribution to pay expenses to repair damage to your principal residence (provided the expenses would qualify for a casualty loss deduction on your tax return, without regard to 10% adjusted gross income limit).

(7) Expenses related to casualty loss in a FEMA designated disaster area provided it is the Participant’s principle residence at the time of disaster.

If you would like a distribution or a hardship, please call EB Management, the Administration Office, at 1-800-524-4852 or 206-282-3205 for the forms.

If you have other questions, please contact your Union Rep Monica Smith, 206-436-6524. 

Read Washington State’s New Reopening Guidelines and Learn the Requirements for Employers and How to Enforce Them at Your Workplace

Washington State has now released guidelines and requirements for a county-by-county reopening of our state. Each county in the state is expected to move through these phases as they meet the requirements for moving to the next phase, based on an assessment of COVID-19 disease activity, health care system readiness, testing capacity, the ability to investigate and trace cases, and the ability to protect high-risk people. 

Read the state’s guidelines and the four phases of reopening here 

Importantly, there are requirements for employers during all four phases designed to keep people safe at work. No matter what phase your county is in, your employer is required to: 

• Maintain six-foot physical distancing requirements for employees and patrons 

• Adopt other prevention measures such as barriers to block sneezes and coughs when physical distancing is not possible for a particular job task 

• Provide you with and require you to wear cloth facial coverings (unless your exposure dictates an even higher level of protection, or you work alone without interacting with people, or you are or must communicate with someone deaf or hard of hearing who relies on visual language cues) – This requirement begins on June 8 

• Allow you to wear your own facial coverings at work as long as it meets the minimum requirements 

• Identify and provide you with adequate personal protective equipment in accordance with Labor & Industries requirements and specific COVID-19 standards 

• Limit close interactions with patrons while providing services 

• Provide adequate sanitation and personal hygiene for workers, vendors, and patrons 

• Ensure you have access to hand washing facilities so you can wash your hands frequently with soap and running water 

• Ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of the business, particularly of high-touch surfaces 

• Follow Governor Inslee’s proclamation protecting high-risk workers – Find a link to that proclamation here (Note: This proclamation is set to expire on June 12, but we expect it will be extended by the governor) 

• Educate workers about COVID-19 in a language you best understand 

• Have a plan for dealing with workers who are sick, including requiring COVID-19 positive employees to stay home and potentially restricting employees who were directly exposed to that employee 

• Follow CDC cleaning guidelines to deep clean after reports of an employee with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 illness – this may involve the closure of a business until it can be properly disinfected 

• Implement other practices appropriate for specific types of businesses on a case-by-case basis, as directed by federal, state and local public health and workplace safety officials, such as screening of employees for illness and exposures upon work entry, requiring non-cash transactions, etc. 

• Implement any health and safety requirements developed specifically for your industry, comply with COVID-19 worksite-specific safety practices, and keep a safe and healthy facility in accordance with state and federal law 

If your employer does not follow all of these regulations all the time, you can report them for not keeping you, your coworkers, and your community safe. You can file a safety report with the union by emailing your name, work location, and safety issue to safetyreport@ufcw21.org. You can also contact the state’s Department of Safety and Health call center at 1-800-423-7233 or via e-mail to adag235@lni.wa.gov, and you can report a lack of social distancing via online form here. 

Our state also reminds everyone that it is against the law for any employer to take any adverse action such as firing, demotion, or otherwise retaliate against a worker they suspect of exercising safety and health rights such as raising safety and health concerns to their employer, participating in union activities concerning safety and health matters, filing a safety and health complaint or participating in a DOSH investigation. Workers have 30 days to file a complaint with L&I DOSH and/or with Federal OSHA.  

June 1: Telephone Town Hall Calls

Join fellow union members for this week’s 

UFCW 21 Live Telephone Town Halls

Monday, June 1 

6:30pm 

Call-in number: 888-652-2664 

Meeting ID: 4865 

These meetings are an opportunity to come together to discuss workplace safety, ongoing campaigns for hazard pay, questions about things like childcare, unemployment, or mental health, and anything else going on in your workplace or community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Join us by picking up the phone when we call you between 6:30 and 6:40pm on Monday, or you can call in yourself with the call-in information above. 

And we will be joined again by our partners at Teamsters 38. 

SUBJ: You’re invited: Mon. 6/1 at 5:30pm Union Tele-Town Hall Meeting 

Special Public Sector Telephone Town Hall Call 

Monday, June 1 

5:30pm 

Call-in number: 888-652-0386 

Meeting ID: 4864 

These meetings are an opportunity to come together to discuss workplace safety, ongoing campaigns for hazard pay, questions about things like childcare, unemployment, or mental health, and anything else going on in your workplace or community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Join us by picking up the phone when we call you between 5:30 and 5:40pm on Monday, or you can call in yourself with the call-in information above. 

We will also be joined by workplace leaders from the Washington Public Employees Association UFCW 135. 

Health Care 

Monday, June 1 

7:30pm 

Call-in number: 888-544-2310 

Meeting ID: 4866 

These meetings are an opportunity to come together to discuss workplace safety, ongoing campaigns for hazard pay, questions about things like childcare, unemployment, or mental health, and anything else going on in your workplace or community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Join us by picking up the phone when we call you between 7:30 and 7:40pm on Monday, or you can call in yourself with the call-in information above.

OTHER UPDATES: 

Washington State Reopening Non-emergency and Elective Medical/Dental Procedures 

As of May 17, health care and dental facilities are able to offer non-emergency and elective procedures only if they are able to meet the state’s safety criteria, including providing appropriate protective equipment for workers and patients and having a formal employee feedback process. Please review the information in this order and if you have new ideas about how we can help all members understand and enforce these safety guidelines, be in touch. 

• UFCW 21 message about this new order, including safety criteria and link to the governor’s proclamation 

• Report any safety issues you are facing or share ideas for how to better enforce our safety at work: safetyreport@ufcw21.org  

WA State Reopening Non-emergency and Elective Medical/Dental Procedures

Today Governor Inslee announced that Washington State will be allowing nonemergency medical and dental procedures to begin, provided that the facilities performing these procedures meet certain criteria. If facilities cannot meet all the criteria “in good faith and with reasonable clinical judgment,” they cannot perform non-urgent care. The proclamation is retroactive to midnight, May 17, 2020, meaning this care can begin immediately if facilities are able to meet the state’s safety criteria. 

Facilities and practices must assess the COVID-19 status in their communities in collaboration with local health jurisdictions, and have a plan to expand or contract care to accommodate COVID-19 surges and to meet all the requisite criteria for a safe expansion of care. The criteria for expanding non-urgent procedures include: 

• Following the Department of Health’s personal protective equipment (PPE) conservation guidance, which will be regularly reviewed and updated by the DOH, as published on the DOH website 

• Having a formal employee feedback process for direct input regarding care delivery processes, PPE, and technology 

• Implementing policies for non-punitive sick leave that adhere to CDC’s return-to-work guidance 

• Maintaining strict social distancing in patient scheduling, check-in process, positioning, and movements within a facility 

• Using on-site fever screening and self-reporting of COVID-19 symptom screening for all patients, visitors, and staff 

• Continuously monitoring capacity in the system to ensure there are resources to address potential surges of COVID-19  

There is lots of additional criteria for reopening, but we want to reiterate what the governor made very clear: Facilities must have appropriate personal protective equipment for their workers and patients. If they aren’t able to procure enough PPE, they cannot open. 

Read the full document and familiarize yourself with all the guidelines here. 

We know many health care and dental workers are facing furloughs or lost hours, and many people in our community have put off getting medical and dental care during this pandemic, so we are glad to see the state looking at a safe reopening of health care facilities and expansion of procedures. But we join with other health care unions in strongly emphasizing the importance of adequate PPE and other worker and patient safety protocols. If health care workers are not safe, the health care system cannot function. 

In the coming days we will be creating resources for health care and dental workers to use when assessing their workplace’s compliance with the governor’s newest order. If you suspect your workplace is not complying with the state’s orders, you are asked to do something you feel is unsafe, or you have questions or concerns about your or your coworkers’ safety: please contact your Shop Steward or Union Rep as soon as you can, or email safetyreport@ufcw21.org with your name, workplace, safety concern, and contact info. 

May 18: Telephone Town Hall Calls Call-in Information

UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall 

Monday, May 18 at 6:30 PM 

Call-in Phone Number: 888-652-5403 

Meeting ID: 4787 

Call in at 6:30 pm to join fellow UFCW 21 members in asking questions, sharing ideas, and hearing directly from one another on what we’re all doing to face the COVID-19 crisis, get the support we need, and stand up for working people. 

Health Care UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall 

Monday, May 18 at 7:30 PM 

Call-in Phone Number: 866-304-0621 

Meeting ID: 4788 

Call in at 7:30 pm to join fellow UFCW 21 members in asking questions, sharing ideas, and hearing directly from one another on what we’re all doing to face the COVID-19 crisis, get the support we need, and stand up for working people.