Amazon, Whole Foods & Instacart Workers Staging ‘Sick Out’ Over Coronavirus Safety Concerns
Amazon, Whole Foods and Instacart employees are staging a nationwide “sick-out” today and tomorrow due to coronavirus safety concerns under the Amazon umbrella.
The workers at all three companies say officials have failed to prioritize their safety and enact improved measures, including paid leave for those that are affected by the tragic pandemic.
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With already as many as 150,000 Instacart workers striking today and hundreds more at Amazon’s New York warehouse, a petition on social media, baring the tags #GlobalSickOut #March31st, claims, “COVID-19 is a very real threat to the safety of our workforce and our customers. We cannot wait for politicians, institutions, or our own management to step in to protect us.”
One Whole Foods worker in Chicago and organizer of the “sick out,” says, “The most obvious demand we have is for an increase in hazard pay. We’re asking for double pay.”
They add,“Since we first announced the intent to do a sick out, Whole Foods announced a temporary raise of $2 an hour, which isn’t enough. A bunch of us have already gotten sick. It’s very plausible that some of us will die for this job.”
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