Gibbons, who has been a member of our union family since 1971, is retiring from his position in self-checkout at Kroger Store #622 in Little Rock, Ark. He also served as a vice president on the local’s Executive Board and as a local union third trustee, worked on clean-up campaigns and negotiating committees for Kroger, and attended International conventions and steward conferences.

Gibbons reflected on what it’s meant to be a part of our union over the last 50 years.

“I really didn’t understand what the union was when I was first hired on, but quickly realized its importance,” he said. “Over time, I found out how invaluable the union is and realized that all the benefits members enjoy are because of the contracts the union negotiated. Kroger has been a better workplace thanks to the union, and I hope it continues in the future.”

He also had some advice for younger members of our union.

“Don’t give in and keep fighting for what is right,” he said. “We have to stand together and make our voices heard. The old saying ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ is true, and all members should keep that in mind always.”

“Glen is dedicated, passionate, and committed to his fellow co-workers and his union,” said UFCW Local 2008 President Steve Gelios. “He has served both for 50 years and will be sorely missed on the Executive Board, and as a negotiating team member for Kroger.”

“There are few words that can do justice to a lifetime of hard work and service,” UFCW International Marc Perrone wrote in a letter to Gibbons. “Your commitment to this UFCW union family for over 50 years is a testament to you, your values, and your belief in something greater than oneself. It may be difficult for one to always appreciate this, but you made a real difference in the lives of others. The countless number of people you helped serve, the co-workers whose lives you have touched, and the union you supported were all made better because of the special person you are.”

“Please know that I am so honored to have been invited to break bread and celebrate your retirement,” Perrone added. “Friends and members like you not only inspire me, but remind me of how incredible this union truly is.”

Thank you to the UFCW members who, right now, are on the job serving the American public. We know that we all have anxieties from this illness and from worries about the future. On top of that are people like UFCW workers who are potentially exposed to this virus who are out doing work while many of us are at home. I am urging this administration to add a pandemic pay so that those workers who are exposing themselves potentially to this virus in food service who are working at grocery stores, who are UFCW members, that they are taken care of. If we care about the dignity of work in this country, we fight for the people who make it work. That means UFCW members who are working to provide us food in our grocery stores around the country.

We agree — any relief package should include “pandemic pay” for ALL food workers who are being exposed to this virus while keeping our communities and our families fed.

For more information, visit www.ufcw.org/coronavirus

Kroger and UFCW have been working closely to ensure that these grocery workers are able to continue to provide the necessary food and supplies to their communities during the coronavirus pandemic. Kroger and UFCW announced the following increases to pay, benefits, and protections for frontline associates across the country:

ALICIA MENENDEZ: With me now is Marc Perrone, he is the president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The UFCW represents Instacart employees in the Chicago area as well as many other grocery store clerks and food processing workers all across the U.S. and Canada. Thank you so much for being with me. Can you give me a sense, Marc, of what these workers are up against?

MARC PERRONE: Well, Alicia, I think they’re up against their health. If they don’t provide the protective equipment that they need, rapid testing, if they don’t provide hand sanitizer, and disposable wipes so that they can clean the surfaces of their vehicles, as well as their hands, they have a very good possibility that they could contract the virus.

They also have the possibility of being able to spread the virus because of the fact that they’re going into all these transmission points to pick up groceries and bring them to different people. You have to think about it for a second. If somebody is getting their groceries delivered to them, they may be under quarantine and if they are under quarantine, it would be a good reason for them to have the protective equipment that they so desperately need.

I also believe that they should be provided with masks. Look, I know that the health care providers, as well as our fire and our police need those masks desperately. But we ultimately need to get those masks into production so that people that are in these transmission points can use them as well to protect themselves and the customers that they are dealing with.

MENENDEZ: There have been discussions within your union, I understand, about designating these workers as emergency responders. How would that designation help?

PERRONE: Well, I think that the designation would help as it relates to the testing. If they get the testing faster as well as the results of those tests can come back faster. In addition to that, a lot of these workers because they may be single mothers are having difficulty finding child care and it would give them access to some of the subsidies that the federal government put in this last bill at $3.5 billion.

And additionally, at some point in time, it would put them in the queue to receive masks once our production in the country got up to the point that we could cover our health care workers as well as our fire, our EMTs, and our police. I think that’s critical.

Unfortunately, there was a big error, a failure as it related to the testing. I think it’s also a failure as it related to our supplies that we needed in order to protect all these people that are out there working every single day trying to make sure we have food on the table and that we’re taking care of if we go to the hospital or if we have to be picked up by an ambulance service.

For updates related to COVID-19, please visit www.ufcw.org/coronavirus. 

If you are a worker experiencing an issue at your workplace related to COVID-19, please report it to us online.

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy had a message for grocery workers on the front lines during the coronavirus outbreak:

“I know you have been working long and hard hours helping our fellow residents, and make no mistake each and every one of your is a vital part of our front line emergency reponse team. The work you’re doing to ensure that our families are provided for is mission critical to our getting through this emergency. I know this time to be hard on you personally and professionally. I know you need and deserve to be protected on the job”

Follow the conversation on UFCW’s Facebook Page

[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLujTLCBfbkT-IWIlEjc4A5ItCXZZ_Cqkm”]

STEPHANIE RUHLE: As more cities shut down in the wake of the coronavirus, businesses deemed essential, like pharmacies and supermarkets, are still up and running with workers, many at minimum wage working really long days at the front lines of this pandemic.  

The United Food and Commercial Workers with nearly 1.3 million members across the food industry in the United States and Canada, has been working with major companies like Stop & Shop, Pepsi, Kraft Heinz, Campbell’s Soup, Safeway, and Rite Aid to implement new policies aimed at keeping those workers safe. 

Joining me now is Marc Perrone, he’s president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Marc, we are seeing more cases of workers who are getting sick. Do we need more protection for them? 

MARC PERRONE: Yes, Stephanie, we really do. I can’t stress that enough. I think it is in fact difficult in order to do that, because the personal protection equipment is just not available unless you’re a first responder. And, as seen earlier this morning on Morning Joe, there will be transmission points for this virus if we’re going to stop it. We believe those transmission points will be grocery stores, pharmacies, some of those essential businesses that will have to remain open. 

RUHLE: We know some of the bigger chains can afford to do it, but should these people be getting increased wages, given what they’re putting themselves through?  

PERRONE: Well, we ultimately believe that they should be getting increased wages, because of the amount of increase of sales per man hour that’s taking place. So, the shareholders and the corporations are doing really well through that process. And those workers are actually delivering that increased productivity. And that’s why we ultimately believe that they should get it and have an opportunity to share in some of that.  

We also think that because that is taking place, the owners and the shareholders have a responsibility, when it’s available, to provide that personal protection equipment. Or at least, when it’s not available, to provide screens, plexiglas screens up on each checkstand so it gives them more protection than they presently have right now. We think that’s important and we think it’s critical, and some of our employers have started to do that systematically through their stores. 

RUHLE: Whole Foods and its owner Amazon have faced major backlash on their policies towards workers. Whole Foods even saying that those who could not work peak hours could lose their full-time status and health benefits. Have they changed their policies in any meaningful way in the last week or so? 

PERRONE: Whole Foods is a non-union corporation owned by Amazon, and I do believe it’s Amazon’s position as well as Whole Foods’ position to maximize their profits right now, even at the expense of the workers. I think it’s a terrible thing to do. I think it’s irresponsible. I think it’s irresponsible as it relates to what they’re doing for their customers.

 If people believe, for instance, they can’t go to work, because if they don’t go to work, they’re going to lose their health care, here’s what’s going to happen. They’ll show up at work, whether or not they’re sick or not sick. And if that takes place, it’s just like I said earlier, it could be a transition point that’s going to take place at some of these stores.  

That’s the reason why we’re fighting so hard to make sure workers who are impacted by the virus, in other words, they have symptoms, that they can ultimately themselves take themselves out of the public and protect the customers that they’re wanting to serve as well as their co-workers that are serving us, to make sure we have food on the shelves and that we’ve got everything available to us.  

It’s the same way with the packing and food processing sections that we are connected with. Those workers are working in close proximity to others, and it’s necessary for them to be able to take themselves out of the assembly line on positions, so that they ultimately can protect each other. because many of those places are locate in more rural parts of the United States where health care systems are already stretched to the limit, as well as there’s not as many workers in those outlying areas that they can draw upon to replace very quickly. 

RUHLE: Thank you so much.

Text “Prepared” to 83071 For Updates

How infection happens

The primary routes of entry for the virus are the eyes, nose, and throat. Most infections will occur from either inhaling droplets from another sick person, or touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face. This is why handwashing is so important. Skin acts as a barrier, and the more you wash your hands, the more chances you have to wash off any germs you may have picked up.

How long does the virus stick around?

We’re still learning about this virus, but from what experts have said, it can linger in the air for up to three hours at the most. On stainless steel surfaces, it can last a bit longer. On porous surfaces like paper and cardboard, it can survive for up to 24 hours. It is not yet clear how long it might last on cloth such as work uniforms.

Wash your face and hands before leaving work

If you return home with dirty hands, you may touch a number of surfaces in your home before you get to your sink, let alone on the way from your work back to where you live. Wash both your face and hands before leaving your worksite and do not enter your house until you have done so.

Wash your clothes when you get home

It’s not clear what temperature will kill the virus, but it is clear that you don’t want a bunch of contaminated work clothes laying around your house. Bag clothes worn to work and get them into the washing machine as soon as possible. Handle clothing as though it is contaminated. You may wish to use gloves, but at the very least wash your hands after getting everything into the laundry.

Wipe down your cell phone

Wipe down your cell phone and anything else you take to work and touch frequently before you enter your home.

What about face masks?

Face masks are tricky because not all face masks are the same. The loose, surgical masks you may have seen many people wearing are not air-tight and fitted to the face. When you breath in, air can still get around the sides and they are not considered adequate protection against breathing in the virus. They are more intended to be worn by anyone who has the virus to help prevent the spread of germs to other people in the form of exhaled droplets or other bodily fluids, which isn’t a bad thing, but it is important to know the difference. N95 respirators are different from the face masks and can protect you from inhaling up to 95% of airborne particles.

Keep 6ft between you and others

Try to maintain at least 6ft of distance between you and your coworkers, customers, or anyone else you come in contact with. The six feet of distance is intended to protect you both from exhaled airborne droplets. By keeping distance between yourself and others, you help prevent the chance of exposure. The UFCW is working with employers on ways to reduce risk of transmission within stores, such as plastic barriers between customers and cashiers, or reworking the checkout procedures.

Use your gloves properly

Even if you have gloves on, they still are not going to protect you if you touch your face while wearing them. Gloves can be worn for an extended period of time as long as they are not damaged. Remove your gloves when you go on break and wash your hands after taking them off. Do not wash your gloves. Get a fresh pair of gloves when you return to work and be sure to dispose of your old gloves properly.

Your right to refuse work

If you are over 60 or have an underlying health condition that compromises your immune system, you have the right to refuse work you feel is putting your life in immediate danger. Higher risk workers should be moved to roles with less customer interaction.

Report any issues

If you are experiencing issues in your store, such as a shortage of protective equipment, lack of hand sanitizer or access to handwashing stations, please contact your local union rep and fill out this form here. The form will help us keep track of the types of problems most worker are facing and help use better work with employers to solve them.

Report an Issue

For updates related to COVID-19, please visit www.ufcw.org/coronavirus. 

SaveMart Supermarkets

• All grocery workers will start receiving an extra $2.50 per hour, retroactive to March 8, for all hours worked up to 40 hours per week.
• Anyone working beyond 40 hours per week will earn an extra $3.50 per hour for all hours worked over 40 hours per week.