The COVID-19 crisis had affected a lot of sectors in the US. Employees of different food businesses are no exception to the harsh effects of the current crisis.

Many employees of food businesses are participating in strikes through walking-out on the job or calling-in sick due to the health risks of their work.

Here a few information about the ongoing strikes among food business employees:

Perdue

Dozens of poultry plant workers of Perdue in Georgia had gone on strike on March 23 to demand the business to sanitize the factory. According to the employees, the factory was not being cleaned thoroughly. Additionally, the group revealed that some workers who were exposed to the deadly novel coronavirus were not sent home.

Instacart

Some shoppers of the grocery app Instcart had announced their strike last week, says an article. The group of shoppers stated that they will deny new orders starting March 30 if the company does not provide their demands. 


Those demands include hazard pay of $5 per order, company-issued hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, and soap. They were also asking the company to offer them paid sick leaves, including employees with pre-existing health conditions and were told by their doctors to remain in their homes.

Instacart responded to the concern and said that it will be giving out hand sanitizers to its employees. The business will also make it easier for shoppers to set a default tipping average. The workers were not satisfied with the response of the company and said that they will continue the strike.

Amazon

The workers of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York had walked out of their jobs on Monday. The employees are demanding that the facility be subject to sanitation after an employee of the business had tested positive for the deadly novel coronavirus last week. 


Chris Smalls, one of the organizers of the strike had stated that 100 employees of the business will be participating.


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Amazon had already asked those people who were in contact with the COVID-19 positive employee to self-quarantine for 14 days.

A few hours after the strike, Amazon announced that it had fired Chris Smalls for failing to observe the business' social distancing guidelines. There were only 15 employees who participated with Small on the strike, said Amazon.

Whole Foods

The Whole Worker's National Organizing Committee at the Amazon proprietary group, Whole Foods conducted a strike on March 31. The group's protest is about the improvement of their working conditions.


Based on a leaked email from the CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey, the employees of the business were previously offered unlimited unpaid sick leave for the entire month of March. The email also included advising to donate their paid day off to co-workers with ill family members.

The organizers of the strike asked employees not to go to work to demand a guaranteed paid leave for those who are self-isolating after believing that they have been exposed to the virus. Also, they demand the reinstatement of healthcare coverage for seasonal and part-time employees among other demands.