![]() While lauding their workers as “heroes,” the companies are unable to provide even the most basic of protections. These sentiments have been repeated by Instacart and Amazon spokespeople as well. In response to the strike, a Whole Foods Spokesperson wrote “'It is disappointing that a small but vocal group, many of whom are not employed by Whole Foods Market, have been given a platform to inaccurately portray the collective voice of our 95,000+ Team Members who are heroically showing up every day to provide our communities with an essential service.” ![]() In this context of global crisis, Amazon and Instacart workers and alongside them key production, medical, distribution, logistics, and transit workers have been deemed as “essential workers.” Workers without whom society would collapse. ![]() A tweet in support of Chicago Amazon workers gained over 1,000 likes in less than one hour. The demand by Gig Worker’s collective on the website Medium, for basic sanitation equipment and increased pay, has gotten over 2,000 claps or likes thus far. The petition by Whole Worker, including demands for adequate safety gear and immediate shutdown of any location with COVID-19, has gathered over 11,000 signatures thus far. There is immense support for the striking workers. Far from protecting workers, this measure might actually facilitate infection as the virus can stick to cardboard for up to 24 hrs. In a social media post by a worker, “bufferboards” made of cardboard were set up to protect workers in an Amazon facility. Research by an associate professor at MIT suggests that an individual infected with COVID-19 can spread the disease through sneezing as far as 27 feet.Īmazon workers have resorted to desperate measures to keep themselves safe. When our reporters asked an Amazon worker in Chicago what safety measures the conglomerate was taking, he responded, “I was told they had workers put tape on the floors demonstrating 6 feet but that’s impossible in our facility.” This building, this company, makes so much money off the back of us!” They want us to social distance…we are never at one point in time less than 6 feet from one another. We don’t even have enough time to wash our hands. We hear it all over the news, wash your hands. We want to work in a clean facility, where we’re going to be safe. We want to work! But how can we be essential workers when our lives are not essential. But we’re doing this for a cause that’s bigger than you, and it’s bigger than me and its bigger than a lot of us. The coronavirus has infected at least 14 Amazon Warehouses.Ī worker at the strike said “We all have families we all are missing out on money. Amazon’s response has been nearly identical to that employed by Whole Foods, a tiny raise in wages but virtually nothing done to ensure the safety of its workers from a deadly virus. As testing kits are limited, far more are likely infected.Īmazon workers picketed in Chicago over similar concerns of safety. It has done virtually nothing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.Ī Whole Foods employee recently tested positive for COVID-19 today in Chicago, four days ago in Huntington Beach, California and several workers have tested positive in New York City. In response to the pandemic, Whole Foods has raised hourly wages by $2 and introduced double overtime pay. Instacart, in response to the pandemic, has promised workers that it would give them 14 days paid sick leave if they are able to prove that they’ve contracted COVID-19. ![]() They are doing the bare minimum and even making it hard for those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 to get paid time off.” We haven’t been given any real information on how best to take precautions. Sarah, an Instacart shopper, told the WSWS, “We haven’t been offered any type of cleaning products or funds to purchase such products. Like other logistics and transport workers, if any of them get infected they could potentially spread the disease to hundreds of customers before ever showing symptoms. As great masses of people quarantine themselves at home, Instacart workers provide the essential service of delivering food and supplies. Through instructions given by the app, these workers-called “shoppers”-deliver groceries to residences. Instacart employs “gig workers,” workers like rideshare drivers, who are able to work by logging into the Instacart app. The Instacart and Amazon strikes were organized outside of the trade unions by three groups, Whole Worker (Whole Foods), Gig Worker’s Collective (Instacart), and DCH1 Amazonians United (Amazon). Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon, with over 566,000 employees worldwide. Hundreds of Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods workers throughout the United States took strike action yesterday and Monday against hazardous work conditions amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
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