Every year on April 28, the UFCW joins labor unions and other groups in the U.S. and around the world to observe Workers’ Memorial Day so that we may remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and renew and reinvigorate our efforts to ensure safe jobs for all people.
The COVID-19 coronavirus has made safety and health in the workplace a national issue. To protect our members during this outbreak, the UFCW is working with state and federal leaders to develop immediate policies that address our members’ personal and economic health. Our union has been meeting with our largest employers to safeguard our members’ pay and benefits and minimize our members’ exposure to the coronavirus. The UFCW is also working with local unions to designate our members as “first responders” to ensure they have immediate access to testing and additional protections they need to be able to do their jobs, and coordinating with local, state, and federal authorities about the impact any new coronavirus policies could or may have on our members and employer operations. You can learn more about what our union is doing to protect our members during this outbreak here.
Last week, the UFCW launched #ShopSmart, a new national campaign that encourages American grocery shoppers to take specific actions, such as wearing a mask inside stores, with the goal of protecting both workers and customers. This new nationwide public safety effort is in response to the growing number of food and grocery workers who are becoming exposed to the coronavirus and the direct threat this growing outbreak poses to our nation’s food supply. You can learn more about the campaign here.
A Workers’ Memorial Day toolkit developed by the AFL-CIO is available here. If your local is attending or hosting an event to observe Workers’ Memorial Day, please share that information, along with photos, with Julie Anderson at janderson@ufcw.org.