Stop & Shop joins grocers calling for workers to be labeled ‘extended first responders’ NorthJersey.com Published 4:00 AM EDT Apr 28, 2020 Stop & Shop and a union that represents employees at its stores on Monday joined a growing call from the industry to label grocery workers "extended first responders" amid the coronavirus pandemic. Grocery store workers are busier than ever as consumers rush supermarkets to stock up on food, disinfectant and other supplies. An emergency personnel designation would provide them with priority access to testing, emergency childcare and protective gear, according to the joint statement from Stop & Shop and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, or UFCW. “Make no mistake, Stop & Shop associates are essential workers and they deserve essential protections,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid and UFCW President Marc Perrone said. The nation’s largest grocery chain, Kroger, and Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Acme, issued similar joint statements with the union earlier in April. By then, 30 of the union’s members had died from complications related to the coronavirus. Stop & Shop service attendants wheel shopping carts back to the store, as they wear masks, March 18, 2020. Mark Vergari/The Journal News Stop & Shop’s 70,000 UFCW workers in New Jersey, New York and three other Northeast states were in March granted 10% raises and two weeks of paid leave if they become sick with COVID-19. That pay increase and sick policy were extended through May 30, Reid and Perrone announced Monday. An early April poll of 267 organizations by human resources association WorldatWork found roughly 2 in 3 business are not paying hazard pay but instead are offering workers benefits, such as free day care and meals, during the pandemic. One in 10 businesses were offering no hazard pay or additional benefits, according to the poll. Coronavirus: Complete coverage on New Jersey cases and the state’s response Above and Beyond: Supermarket workers among unsung heroes of coronavirus pandemic Retail: Has the coronavirus crisis changed supermarkets forever — or just for now? Many grocers are increasing pay amid the outbreak, recognizing the extra workload and heightened danger for workers, who face potential contamination from shoppers and co-workers.  Whole Foods, owned by, Amazon, is paying hourly employees an additional $2 per hour in "hazard pay" through the end of April – as are Wegmans and Albertsons. A New Jersey consortium of workers’ rights groups known as Fair Workweek NJ has nonetheless argued that the increase is not enough. The group has called for grocery, warehouse and food delivery workers to earn time and a half for any hours worked under the state’s public health emergency. Shoppers arrive at Stop & Shop before the store opens in Hackensack at Summit Plaza on Tuesday March 17, 2020. Beginning Thursday, March 19th, all Stop & Shop stores will open earlier in order to service only customers who are age 60 and over from 6:00a.m.-7:30a.m. daily. Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com In an April 21 letter to state officials, the group asked for a partial or total shutdown of a business when a worker tests positive and a paid leave to allow for disinfection, advanced schedule posting and improvements to the state’s paid leave program.  “The definition of ‘first responder’ is not broad enough and does not ensure that all of the front-line workers who are currently getting sick with COVID19 on the job can work with some social and financial security,” the letter said. In Washington, Senate Democrats in April proposed a $13 per hour base pay for workers who are risking their health just by showing up for work. Called the Heroes Fund, it would provide up to $25,000 in 2020 for qualifying “essential workers,” though that phrase remains undefined in the proposal. David Zimmer is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: zimmer@northjersey.com Twitter: @dzimmernews  Published 4:00 AM EDT Apr 28, 2020

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