What Is Going on With Trader Joe’s Coronavirus Response and Union Fight? | Eater

"A grocery store in Scarsdale, New York temporarily closed after an employee with underlying health conditions died of COVID-19, prompting coworkers to be given time to process and grieve and highlighting the heightened risks faced by frontline grocery workers. Employees and a newly public organizing coalition say staff have been exposed to the virus often without adequate protections, paid sick leave, or hazard pay, and have reported inconsistent, store-level policies—ranging from slow or uneven closures after positive tests to managers allegedly discouraging masks or gloves so as not to alarm customers. Organizers demanded concrete measures including hazard pay at time-and-a-half, free testing, regular temperature checks, mandatory PPE, and two weeks paid precautionary quarantine for coworkers of infected employees; in response the company rolled out measures such as reduced hours, increased cleaning, plexiglass at registers, limits on shoppers, protective gear, posted COVID-related closures, up to two weeks additional paid leave for symptoms/quarantine, and a temporary $2/hour increase plus sales-based bonuses that many workers criticized as inadequate (reportedly $200–$300 in some cases). The pandemic has amplified longstanding labor tensions—past disciplinary actions over attitude or appearance, disputes over employee communication channels, and allegations of retaliatory firings for organizing or raising concerns—while company leadership has framed the union push as a distraction and pledged a vote if 30% of crew members request one. Workers say the company’s steps amount to too little, too late, and that only stronger, enforceable protections and compensation will address the immediate safety and economic risks they face." - Jenny G. Zhang