#EssentialWorkersDay Sick Out Announcement
NOTE: THIS PRESS RELEASE WAS WRITTEN IN APRIL 2020 FOR WHOLEWORKER.ORG.
May 1st Sickout Announcement
April 25, 2020
We would like to officially announce to all Whole Foods team members that we will be staging another national sickout on May 1st as a part of #EssentialWorkersDay. We are fighting for the same protective measures that we demanded during our March 31st sickout, which include:
Guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work.
Reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers.
Immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19. In such an event, all workers should continue to receive full pay until the store can safely reopen.
Increased FSA funds to cover coronavirus testing and treatment for all team members, including part-time and seasonal.
Guaranteed hazard pay in the form of double pay during our scheduled hours.
Commitment to ensuring that all locations have adequate sanitation equipment and procedures in place.
We have gathered feedback from our last action and implemented the following changes in our organizing strategy:
In order to keep track of participation in the sickout, we have created a strike pledge survey for interested team members. This information will be used to inform future worker actions and contact team members who need to cover for lost wages.
We are looking to create a strike fund to support team members who do not have PTO to cover for May 1.
We have created another survey, currently available online, to gather team members’ opinions regarding Whole Foods’ response to the pandemic.
We are encouraging team members’ family and friends, as well as other concerned members of the public, to join in the action by boycotting Whole Foods Market and phone-zapping COVID-affected stores.
Your right to protest for better working conditions is protected by the National Labor Relations Act. You can choose to let your store leadership know you are participating in the strike* or just calling for a personal day.
*If you do state you’re striking, please let us know. We are encouraging team members with strong organizing support in their stores to explicitly state their right to protest. If you do not have this support, do not state this to protect yourself from potential retaliation.
If team members at your store are interested in protesting outside the building on May 1, please reach out to Whole Worker. We can contact media outlets and lawyers in order to provide as much support as possible for the protestors. If you decide to picket, please make sure to stand six feet apart and wear a mask or full face covering. This will help prevent the spread of disease, and may also help to protect your identity.
Below are links to the documents that we have created for this sickout:
COVID-19 response survey (Prime Now & Flex Drivers included)
Whole Foods Team Member Sick Out Pledge (anonymous)
Whole Foods Community Organizing Plan (for non-Whole Foods employees)
In love and solidarity,
Whole Worker’s National Organizing Committee
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WholeWorkerWFM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholeworkerwfm/
Email (for media inquiries): wholeworkerwfm@gmail.com
Whole Worker is an organization of current and former Whole Foods employees that engages in labor organization and concerted activity on and off the job in the interest of improving team member working conditions.
