Amazon, Walmart, Target, FedEx and Instacart workers to hold ‘unprecedented strike’ on Friday over virus risk
WORKERS from big US businesses are set to stage an unprecedented strike Friday amid the coronavirus crisis, reports say. Essential staffers at Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and FedEx are slated to protest their employers’ supposedly profiting at the expense of their health, reports say. This comes after numerous protests since March amongst Amazon […]
WORKERS from big US businesses are set to stage an unprecedented strike Friday amid the coronavirus crisis, reports say.
Essential staffers at Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and FedEx are slated to protest their employers’ supposedly profiting at the expense of their health, reports say.
This comes after numerous protests since March amongst Amazon workers near Detroit and McDonald’s employees in Los Angeles to name but a few.
The Intercept reports that employees will leave during their lunch break or call in sick to demonstrate their increasing frustration with the COVID-19 situation.
Union members may join outside warehouses and storefronts to support the labor action.
“We are acting in conjunction with workers at Amazon, Target, Instacart and other companies for International Worker’s Day,” said Daniel Steinbrook, a Whole Foods employee strike organizer.
Steinbrook said this is “to show solidarity with other essential workers in our struggle for better protections and benefits in the pandemic.”
The May 1 demonstration on International Workers Day comes amid claims, from Amazon staffers in particular, that big businesses are not being honest about the COVID infection rates.
Jana Jumpp, an Amazon employee in Indiana and her colleagues calculated at least 500 coronavirus cases in at least 125 Amazon facilities, according to The Intercept.
Amazon told the publication they “respect people’s right to express themselves” but said workers were spreading false information.
“We object to the irresponsible actions of labor groups in spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon during this unprecedented health and economic crisis,” said company spokesperson Rachael Lighty.
“We have gone to extreme measures to understand and address this pandemic.”
Whole Workers – who represent Whole Foods employees – say there have been 249 cases in at least 131 stores.
Lead organizer Christian Smalls was fired by Amazon on March 30, hours after he lead his colleagues on a walkout protest in relation to Amazon’s response.
He told the publication the protest will be a telling message to companies after he was contacted by dozens of workers who are sick of their workplace conditions.
This prompted him to unite with the likes of Amazonians United, Target Workers Unite, Whole Worker, and the Gig Workers Collective and others.
Their response was orchestrated via Zoom calls and the likes of Telegram and Signal, encrypted messaging apps, according to The Intercept, who spoke to over 20 organizers in several areas, including Boston, Silicon Valley, Kentucky, and Michigan.
The coalition movement comes after Amazon announced it would be ending its temporary, unlimited paid time off for workers from April 30.
This prompted 50 of their workers to walk out in Minnesota – a month after the company announced 100,000 jobs back in March and 75,000 more in April.
Instacart also hired 300,000 new shoppers in March before announcing 250,000 new hires this month.
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While companies faced criticism for cashing in on the crisis, they increased hourly pay by $2 at Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Workers have claimed that for weeks there is little to no social distancing in Amazon warehouses with no gloves, masks, or PPE before the company began providing PPE and thoroughly cleaning.
The Sun contacted Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and FedEx for comment Tuesday.
