Coronavirus safety drives strikes at Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods
Updated 6 hours ago
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“After a month of frenzied shopping, stay-at-home measures and the escalation of the coronavirus crisis, the pressure cooker of the workplace appears ready to boil over.”
“Fears of contamination and risk also led to as many as 150,000 workers for
grocery delivery service Instacart to execute a nationwide strike on Monday. Their action got wide support on Twitter from notables such as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and concerned consumers such as Ifeanyi Ezeh, a computing engineer living near Columbia, Maryland.
"I support all workers who are risking their health to help save lives during this crisis," he tweeted with the hashtags #InstacartStrike and #AmazonStrike. "Thanks to these brave people, many families like mine are able to stay home safe with our families."”
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Amazon, Instacart Grocery Delivery Workers Demand Coronavirus Protection And Pay
March 30, 20208:47 AM
“Some Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, N.Y., and Instacart's grocery delivery workers nationwide walked off their jobs on Monday. They are demanding stepped-up protection and pay as they continue to work while much of the country is asked to isolate as a safeguard against the coronavirus.
The protests come as both Amazon and Instacart
have said they plan to hire tens of thousands of new workers. Online shopping and grocery home delivery are skyrocketing as much of the nation hunkers down and people stay at home, following orders and recommendations from the federal and local governments.
This has put a spotlight on workers who shop, pack and deliver these high-demand supplies. Companies refer to the workers as "heroes," but workers say their employers aren't doing enough to keep them safe.”
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Amazon, Instacart Grocery Delivery Workers Demand Coronavirus Protection And Pay
“"I touch over 2,000 different items every day I work there. I have to grab products out of the shelf and put them in the bins. ... And I'm not wearing any protection," said Terrell Worm, one of the thousands of workers at the Staten Island warehouse. "Amazon says we're all a family there. If they really saw us as family, they'd care about keeping us safe and keeping us home."
He says he left work last week an hour after learning of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the facility, taking advantage of new unpaid leave. But he plans to return next week because he can't afford to remain unpaid.”
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Instacart wants to increase workers' tips ahead of workforce strike
Updated 10:17 a.m. MDT Mar. 30, 2020
“The grocery delivery company said Sunday it would distribute health and safety supplies to its full-service workers who gather food and other essentials at supermarkets, then drop them off at customers' homes. The company is also launching a new tip setting to help shoppers earn higher, more consistent tips.”
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Instacart workers strike, others demand more as coronavirus alters labor landscape
As large chunks of the American economy remain shut down and many businesses face an uncertain future, a new crop of winners and losers will emerge.
“The Silicon Valley upstart has more than 200,000 contracted workers making multiple trips to grocery stores and delivering items to people's homes.
The Instacart shoppers aren't alone in their efforts to win added benefits. Hundreds of Amazon warehouse workers in California's Inland Empire delivered a petition to their management team Sunday night demanding improved benefits, cleaner facilities and better notification as
positive coronavirus cases continue to surface.
"The fact of the matter is we work with so many people every single day that we are in constant danger," according to the petition.”
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Previous reference:
Instacart workers to strike Monday over coronavirus health hazards
Updated 11:19 a.m. MDT Mar. 28, 2020
“More than 150,000 Instacart drivers and shoppers plan to walk off the job Monday until the company meets certain demands including an extra $5 per order in hazard pay, expanded pay for workers impacted by COVID-19, and the provision of safety supplies including disinfectant wipes.
"Instacart has refused to act proactively in the interests of its Shoppers, customers, and public health, so we are forced to take matters into our own hands," wrote Instacart Shoppers and Gig Workers Collective
in a post on MediumFriday. "We will not continue to work under these conditions."”