The UFCW is sharing the value of belonging to our union family with Lidl grocery store workers by launching a petition to help these hard-working women and men obtain premium crisis pay during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The petition is part of the UFCW’s “A Better Life at Lidl” campaign.
Lidl, a German supermarket chain that operates over 10,000 stores worldwide, opened their first stores in the U.S. in 2017. While the supermarket chain is expanding rapidly, workers have told our organizers about their struggle to cope with unstable schedules at the stores that vary from 18 hours a day to only one shift a week, as well as the lack of affordable health care.
In November of 2018, Lidl purchased a local grocery chain on Long Island, N.Y. Although the company promised workers they could keep their jobs and pay, organizers have spoken to workers who have had their hours cut, making it difficult to live in the area. The company is also eliminating all service jobs, such as meat cutters and deli clerks, and replacing them with low- paying and unstable jobs. Recently, a Lidl worker tested positive for COVID 19; however, according to some of the workers, the company’s communication regarding the outbreak in relation to the health and safety of its employees has been insufficient.
“This was never what any of us thought we were signing up for when we took this job,” said Angel Padro, a deli clerk at Lidl Best Market in Merrick, N.Y. “Still, we are putting ourselves at risk on the front lines of a pandemic because we care about our customers. Lidl should show they appreciate us by giving premium crisis pay for our dedication, like so many supermarkets are right now.”
Lidl workers are standing together to make Lidl jobs good jobs. You can sign the petition in support of these hard-working women and men here.