Monthly Archives: April 2020

On April 14, the UFCW and Kroger Co. called on federal and state government officials to take swift action to designate associates at the company’s grocery stores as “extended first responders” or “emergency personnel.” Both the UFCW and Kroger have been advocating for this designation for the past few weeks.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone and Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen released the following statement:

“Since the onset of this pandemic, Kroger family of companies associates, who are also members of the UFCW, have been working tirelessly to make sure that millions of American families have the fresh food and products they need. As all Americans are now witnessing – grocery workers play a critical role in our communities and they must be protected.

“Working together, Kroger and the UFCW have already taken significant steps to keep Kroger associates safe and reward them for their incredible sacrifices throughout this ongoing crisis. The truth is more must be done and it must be done now.

“Given the significant daily risk these workers face, we are calling on all of our federal and state leaders to take immediate action. Specifically, we are requesting our nation’s leaders to assign a temporary designation of first responder or emergency personnel status for all grocery workers. Make no mistake, this designation is absolutely critical as it will ensure these frontline workers have priority access to personal protection equipment like masks and gloves.

“This urgent call for temporary first responder or emergency personnel status is not just about protecting grocery store workers; it is also about protecting the customers they serve and our nation’s food supply in general.

“We urge our national and statewide elected leaders to act now and protect these essential workers.”

You can read more about the UFCW’s effort to protect our members and the customers they serve here.

On April 13, the UFCW launched #ShopSmart, a new national campaign that encourages American grocery shoppers to take the following steps to protect themselves and workers in the store: 1) wear a mask inside stores; 2) keep six feet apart; and 3) dispose of any used masks and gloves in trash cans.

The new nationwide public safety effort, which includes a new #ShopSmart ad campaign with digital and TV commercials, 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.

“While tens of millions of Americans were told to work from home for their safety, grocery store and food workers have never had that option. More must be done to protect them and our food supply now,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement.

“The “Shop Smart” campaign will help save lives by making clear that all members of the public can take key safety steps to help protect these workers and each other from the coronavirus,” Perrone added.

To highlight the growing concern of food and grocery workers, the UFCW also hosted a press conference call with five workers from across the country who reiterated the steps customers can take to “Shop Smart.” On the call, the UFCW also released results from a survey of more than 5,000 grocery and food workers (sample of 5,000 UFCW members/1 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence level).

The key survey results, which are included below, highlight the real fear and concerns of food and grocery workers and the need to take a more dramatic series of actions to protect workers.

• Customer Support for Workers:
  • 29 percent said customers treated them somewhat poorly or very poorly.
• Top Customer Safety Issues:
  • 85 percent said customers are not practicing social distancing.
  • 81 percent said customers are hoarding supplies or groceries.
  • 62 percent said customers are blaming employees for shortages.
  • 43 percent reported instances of customers shouting at employees.
• Safety Priorities for Grocery Stores:
  • When asked what grocery stores should do to improve customer safety and treatment of workers:
    • 72 percent supported a limit on the number of customers in stores.
    • 49 percent supported stores banning unruly customers.
    • 41 percent supported stores hiring more security.
    • 26 percent supported stores hiring more workers to meet demand.
    • 23 percent supported advertisements with customer safety tips.

Additional information about the #ShopSmart campaign can be found here.