Grocery Workers Union Demand Greater Coronavirus Protections

LOS ANGELES, CA — Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers 770 who are employed by Ralphs called on their employer Friday to provide more materials to protect them from the coronavirus.

The union members wore masks provided to them by the UCFW that had `Union workers paid for this mask written on them while they stood outside the grocery stores early Friday morning.

"Companies are playing a dangerous game right now," said John Grant, president of UFCW 770. "It's a slap in the face for them to ask these workers to expose themselves to a deadly, invisible enemy without providing them the necessary protections and training to keep them and their families out of harm's way, all while these same companies rake in unprecedented profits."

Mayor Eric Garcetti made the recommendation earlier this week that people should wear any kind of clothing, such as shirts, scarves or other items, to cover their mouths when going out in public.

Grocery store workers said they purchased and distributed their own face masks through their union to raise awareness of what they called a "lack of action" from the company.

John Votava, a spokesman for Ralphs, said the company is trying to secure 18,000 masks for its local stores, but they have been hard to come by. Nationally, healthcare workers have pleaded with people to not buy medical- grade masks, as they are in short supply.

"Our first priority today and always is the safety of our associates and customers," Votava said. "We were unaware of masks being provided by the UFCW today, but welcome their assistance. As always, we welcome a collaborative partnership with UFCW to do what's best for our associates, customers and communities."

Garcetti also announced this week that local manufacturers are expected to produce 5 million cloth, non-medical masks for employees working for businesses deemed "essential" during the pandemic.

Votava said Ralphs has been providing gloves for 18,000 employees during "every shift, every day," and they've let employees know they are permitted to wear their own protective masks and gloves.

Plexiglass partitions are being installed at all checkout lanes and service counters such as pharmacies and coffee shops.

Votava said the grocery stores are allowing employees to wash their hands and sanitize their work stations every 30 minutes, something the Los Angeles City Council mandated when it passed an emergency ordinance earlier this month.

Hundreds of hours have been scheduled for cleaning and sanitizing the stores, he said, and Ralphs has hired more than 1,200 new employees from industries affected by the coronavirus outbreak, like restaurants, bars and hotels, to help with cleaning and sanitizing.

UCFW stated workers had demanded the time to wash their hands as needed and plexiglass barriers, as well as further limiting the number of customers allowed in the store at one time and to increase sanitizing in the store, among other things.

The Los Angeles City Council last week finalized emergency ordinances that require grocery retail, drug retail and food delivery businesses to provide all necessary sanitary cleaners and training on their proper use.

The council also passed emergency measures for those businesses to provide access to coronavirus testing at no expense to their employees and provide flexible work schedules to address childcare and family needs during the pandemic.

UFCW also stated it is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare frontline grocery and pharmacy store workers as "emergency personnel" and ensure they are adequately protected statewide.

A recent petition by the union to the governor demanded access to free COVID-19 testing, 14 days additional sick days for workers affected by COVID-19 and the right to paid child care.

City News Service