UFCW 21 urges vaccinations for grocery workers
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SEATTLE – United Food and Commercial Workers 21 wants grocery store workers moved up in the COVID-19 vaccination process. They are currently list in group 1B with other essential workers. The union believes they should be vaccinated as soon as possible because they face exposure to the virus during every shift.
One example of that is that more than 140 employees at the Costco in Yakima have tested positive for COVID-19 in a recent outbreak. Those in Group 1A include healthcare workers as well as residents and employees of long-term care facilities.
The union announced that Kroger leadership has agreed to begin negotiations with the grocery store bargaining team today (Tuesday). The organization’s demands include hazard pay for essential grocery store employees, enforcing state and federal safety measures, notifying workers immediately when there is a COVID exposure and allowing them to quarantine with pay, and establishing a clear and equitable plan for vaccine rollout.
Meanwhile, the Washington Department of Health blames the holidays on a slow start to vaccinating people in the first group. Of more than 356,000 doses delivered to the state, only 19 percent had been administered.
