
Whole Foods employees are staging a nationwide 'sick-out' - laurex
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5dmeka/whole-foods-employees-are-staging-a-nationwide-sick-out
======
elicash
Here's what they're asking for: [https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-
retail-worker-sick...](https://www.coworker.org/petitions/global-retail-
worker-sick-out)

-Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work.

-Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers.

-Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal.

-Guaranteed hazard pay in the form of double pay during our scheduled hours.

-Implementation of new policies that can facilitate social distancing between workers and customers.

-Commitment to ensuring that all locations have adequate sanitation equipment and procedures in place.

-Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19. In such an event, all workers should continue to receive full pay until the store can safely reopen.

~~~
nn35
_-Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for
COVID-19._

This seems likely to shut down the majority of Whole Foods stores in short
order. An unreasonable request, IMO. Grocery stores are genuinely essential to
society and the death rate for < 40yo is very small. Put some masks on them
and keep working.

I do think high-risk employees should basically be allowed to stay home,
though.

~~~
diob
If they're essential to society, do you support free medical care for all the
employees who get sick during this time? Do you support paying for the ongoing
costs of an employee that suffers the rest of their life due to complications
or after effects from COVID-19?

~~~
__s
Yes (granted I'm a Canadian who supports countries covering medical expenses
for all citizens), but are we also going to close hospitals if any of their
employees test positive?

~~~
diob
Glad to hear it.

Of course not, but companies need to be smart about it. Make sure the same
people work the same shifts together, that way if one of the employees in a
shift tests positive, you can isolate and test the others in the shift while
continuing work in the meantime.

And of course, for things like grocery stores, focus heavily on pickup versus
having customers come into the store.

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tracker1
Wonder if grocery store workers will largely be forced to unionize and fall
under similar terms as airline industry with regards to limitations on a
strike. "Essential work"

~~~
whyenot
Aren't many grocery chains already unionized? I believe Safeway, Raleys / Nob
Hill, and Albertsons are, at least.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Yes. It would make sense for existing grocers unions to assist in the efforts
of these Whole Foods workers, and eventually expand to Amazon Fulfillment
workers (perhaps working with other unions under the AFL-CIO umbrella).

[http://www.ufcw.org/grocery/](http://www.ufcw.org/grocery/)

------
ttul
I'm sure that one of the long term outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a
(potentially short-lived) resurgence in unionization and a general leftward
shift in global politics. This move to the left will coincide with governments
continuing to exercise greater authority over the population and economy. Our
reality after COVID-19 will look more like 1970s Britain.

~~~
SpicyLemonZest
We're hearing a lot of stories about labor activism now because every employer
allowed to stay open needs as many workers as it can get. When the rest of the
economy reopens, and the millions of unemployed people start looking for jobs,
that's unlikely to weigh on labor's side of the bargaining table.

------
new_guy
Not mentioned yet but relevant, back in September Bezos dropped health care
benefits got Whole Food workers [https://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-
healthcare-amazo...](https://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-healthcare-
amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-promises-business-roundtable-2019-9)

------
dang
Recent and related:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22736512](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22736512)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22729819](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22729819)

------
airstrike
Somewhat related:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22741887](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22741887)

------
parsimo2010
I empathize with the workers, but isn't striking while there are >3 million
people out of work a bad idea? Whole Foods could fire the strikers and replace
them. It's not like they need particularly rare skills, just about any of the
current jobless could take a shift.

~~~
elicash
It's only a one-day strike. Unless you're openly an organizer, you're not
taking much risk. The biggest thing you're thinking about in that situation is
going without pay. But also, this is why strikes are only successful when
you've got everyone taking part in them. The cost to replace an entire
workforce is actually huge, and would shut down operations for a period of
time. There would also be a campaign aimed at preventing folks from crossing
their picket line: customers, new staff, etc. Enlisting elected leaders, etc.

More generally-speaking, it's illegal to fire NLRA-covered workers for
striking. Granted, the penalties are minimal (penalties are backpay MINUS what
the worker earned while they waited for the case to resolve itself... no
punitive damages). Also, you have to actually win in court, of course -- and
I'm guessing Amazon has good attorneys that can win a tough case. But if
you're firing the entire workforce, no attorney is that good. It's clearly
retaliation.

It's true that during economic downturns it can be hard to successfully
organize, people in all industries feel more replaceable. But it's also true
that at times when workers are feeling more pain, there can be tremendous
activism. Additionally, there have been times in our country's past when
workers were far worse off than today and yet risked far more than their jobs
(in some cases, their lives) to win the protections we have now.

------
LatteLazy
Supermarkets are quite essential in the current emergency. Essential workers
can't strike for obvious reasons.

------
amelius
I sympathize but wouldn't a strike be illegal during a crisis?

~~~
eropple
No? They're not _drafted_ , you can't compel grocery store workers to work. It
just turns out that we rely more than people thought on some of the least
protected of our citizens, and this is a pretty good chance to have their
voices be heard.

~~~
txcwpalpha
Being drafted isn't relevant to the question. The NLRA does indeed specify
that strikes can be illegal in certain situations, such as if doing so would
cause a national emergency. I don't know if this particular strike falls under
that or other criteria.

------
m0zg
I don't understand. WF charges 2-3x as much as a "regular" grocery store and
prides itself on "ethics" and "sustainability". Why are we even having this
discussion? Why aren't those employees fairly compensated and protected?

~~~
usaphp
Where do these “2-3x as much” figures come from? Their prices are not much
different from Vons in my experience, they just sell a lot of premium items
they you won’t find in your local vons - but for stuff you find in a regular
supermarket - they charge around the same. And their 365 products sometimes
are even cheaper than non organic alternatives

~~~
ascagnel_
I also find many of the 365 products are made differently in some subtle ways
vs. other store brands or big-label items. One example I came across recently
was ginger ale; the 365 version has less carbonation and is sweetened with
cane sugar (vs corn syrup), so it had a substantially different taste than the
name brand (Seagram's) I picked up when the 365 brand wasn't available.

------
34679
While grocery stores are essential, any individual employee is not. These are
not skilled positions. Grocery store employees can and should be easily
replaced. The alternative is the potential for a group of unskilled laborers
to hold our nation's food supply hostage at time when many people who are out
of work would gladly take their place. If they don't feel safe working right
now, go home. Someone else will. Doubling their pay during a crisis won't make
them any safer.

