Grocery and Delivery Workers (Shravya Chanamolu)
Fact-Checked Source:
Courtney Biggs, "'I'm scared to go to work': Grocery store workers describe what it's like to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic"
Courtney Biggs Article
Looking Deeper: Five Facts Checked
Store policies where Rebecca works have changed to allow employees to wear masks, but they aren't being provided.
I wanted to learn more about this claim, because it seemed redundant that although wearing masks would be allowed due to the obvious safety reasons, none would be provided despite the significant risks that they are subjecting themselves to. According to the Los Angeles Times, "suppliers canceled or postponed the stores' orders, saying they were required to give priority to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's requests," which sheds some light upon why the employees were not being provided with the necessary maks. Still, they should not be working in an unsafe environment, and for that reason, employees are continuing to request the authorities to supply them with the required protective gear.
But like many Americans, they can't access a test.
This fact surprised me as I had never even thought to consider that there would be a price tag associated with getting tested for COVID-19. Although it used to be entirely based upon how good of an insurance policy an individual had, testing became free after the government stepped in according to Time magazine. Unfortunately, there are still some people who do not qualify for this free testing, but are not in a financially secure enough position to be able to afford getting tested.
The store...requires employees to take breaks to thoroughly wash their hands every 30 minutes.
This was an interesting fact to me, because I didn't think that employees would be getting a schedule telling them when they have to wash their hands. Instead, I was under the impression that the frequency with which the employees wash their hands would be completely up to their discretion. I was curious to see if this was specific to just a few grocery stores or if it was a relatively common idea. According to BBC News, other businesses are implementing that practice in their workplaces. The story that this particular source expands on is an egg timer that reminds the employees to wash their hands every 30 minutes.
Josh, a 22-year-old UberEats cylist in Manhattan...is using gloves and practicing contactless delivery by leaving food outside apartment doors or with a doorman.
I wanted to look into this fact a little more, because I was curious if the precautions he was taking were enough and what some concerns of being a delivery worker could be. The Business Insider magazine explained that they were, in fact, struggling to ensure their safety while doing their job. One worker named Joseph Alvarado stated that "the van and the storage bins were not cleaned before his shift, and there are no gloves or masks—just hand sanitizer, but only sometimes." Furthermore, he stated that they don't even have time in their busy delivering schedule to take a 20 second break to wash their hands. Because of their frequent contact with packages that have been handled by many others before them, this puts them at risk of contracting the virus.
Customers aren't respecting social distancing rules.
This fact was important to look into, in my opinion, because it shows that more has to be done in order to keep our grocery and delivery workers healthy. I wanted to delve deeper and see if this was true for most grocery stores, and if anything was going to be done to combat the issue. According to ABC7 News, grocery stores are considering closing their doors to customers due to their lack of safety precautions. The reason for this is that "at least 3,000 grocery store workers are now showing coronavirus symptoms and more than two dozen have died from COVID-19."
Analytic Essay
First Responders: Grocery Store and Delivery Workers
The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been sweeping over the world with the reported number of cases being well over one million. As a result, it has radically altered the way we go about our daily lives. Social distancing, sef-quarantine, and government-imposed lockdowns are some of the most common phrases we have been hearing in the media nowadays. Of course, this doesn’t include first responders—doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. Grocery store and delivery workers are also considered essential workers and do not have the luxury of staying safe at home unlike the rest of us, which is why they’re pushing for more access to personal protective equipment and higher wages.
Their perspective on the issue is contradictory as they want to both help those who need it by continuing to work, but also find themselves worrying about their own health. Grocery store worker Rebecca claimed that despite the pride that comes with being of such significance during this pandemic, “‘anxiety would be the [most] overwhelming feeling’” (Biggs, 2020). There’s clear evidence of these stakeholders being fearful of COVID-19 and frustrated with their employers due to lack of reimbursement for the risks they are taking. One Staten Island warehouse worker named Terrell Worm complained that he’s “not wearing any protection” while handling “over 2,000 different items every day” and continued to appeal to ethos by mentioning that “‘if [Amazon] really saw us as family, they’d care about keeping us safe and keeping us home’” (Selyukh and Bond, 2020).
This issue matters to them because it concerns their health, as well as that of whoever comes in contact with them. If they were to contract the virus, these employees could become severely ill and have to be committed to a hospital, with the worst case scenario being death. Not only does the lack of personal protective equipment hurt these employees’ health, but also their financial stability as hospitalization is quite expensive. The unfortunate truth is that the most financially insecure are the ones being affected the most, as mentioned by assistant professor Sbicca from the University of Colorado. He explained that creating fair jobs in food labor is extremely difficult, especially when taking varying socioeconomic statuses (Sbicca, 2015). This is highly visible during these times as the low-income grocery and delivery workers are being hurt a lot more than higher-income employees, primarily due to their lack of access to sufficient protective gear.
These stakeholders value their health the most and so, their goals include obtaining the proper personal protective equipment and risk reimbursement from their employers. Despite reaching out to their superiors, all the workers didn’t receive the aid they required. It is being acknowledged, however, that speaking up is a great first step to protect those who are working tirelessly to provide for the general public (“U.S. delivery drivers exposed on frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic,” 2020). By utilizing news outlets and the public’s help, the workers are generating more publicity so their employers, the intended audience, will be under more pressure to comply with their demands of providing necessary safety equipment and increased pay.
The most important facts to grocery and delivery workers are those that highlight the dangers that they’re putting themselves in by continuing to work. These workers are requesting resources in the form of money and safety precautions, and are eager to learn how they could receive it, in exchange for providing the means for families to acquire food, which is a societal necessity.
These employees clearly distrust their employers to fulfill their desires, which is why they are requesting the support of those they do trust— the general public. The aforementioned factors bring the workers and the public together due to a mutually beneficial relationship and creates conflict between employers and employees.
This perspective is extremely important to include in our website due to how prominent of a role these employees play in a world that’s currently being ravaged by the severely virulent coronavirus. Despite our stereotyped vision of essential workers only consisting of healthcare employees, similar to how many envision scientists as old white men, it’s important to also acknowledge the others who work just as hard and put themselves at risk. By considering their viewpoint, it’ll give the general population more reasons to stay at home in the efforts of trying to keep those essential workers safe, especially due to their lack of access to personal protective equipment, as well as push for employers to increase their workers’ wages.
References
Biggs, C. (2020, April 2). 'I'm scared to go to work': Grocery store workers describe what it's like to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-grocery-store-workers-talk-about-working-frontlines-covid19-2020-4
Sbicca, J. (2015). Food labor, economic inequality, and the imperfect politics of process in the alternative food movement. Agriculture and Human Values, 32(4), 675-687. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/10.1007/s10460-015-9582-2
The author of this article is the Assistant Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University, which gives him significant credibility to be discussing this subject. This is set up as a scientific paper with an abstract, introduction, methods, conclusion, and references. Some of his methods of providing information included utilizing interviews, field notes, and secondary source analysis to further explore this topic. The thesis of this article is that the alternative food movement (AFM) has been working to improve work conditions for traditional workers, as well as for those who are trying to support fair alternatives. Sbicca mentions that "if it were not for the strong social movement allies committed to economic equality... then the ability to protect food labor standards would weaken" (Sbicca, 2015). There is evidence of this in the many sources that have been analyzed. Unfortunately, it has been observed that creating fair jobs is quite difficult due to the low organizational capacity. This article will provide additional insight because it took the contradiciton of using food labor as a form of fighting economic inequality into consideration. This is relevant to the COVID-19 perspective that I am exploring because grocery workers and delivery people, who get paid very little, are risking their health by being on the frontlines of this pandemic. With this rapidly-spreading virus, that inequality is greater than ever as people with relatively higher socioeconomic status are being given the luxury of staying home in order to stay safe, however, the same cannot be said of these lower-income grocery and delivery workers.
Selyukh, A., & Bond, S. (2020, March 30). Amazon, Instacart Grocery Delivery Workers Demand Coronavirus Protection And Pay. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/823767492/amazon-instacart-grocery-delivery-workers-strike-for-coronavirus-protection-and-
This came from the program "All Things Considered," which is from the National Public Radio (NPR). This is a secondary source as the hosts discuss current events and provide their own commentary. Since it goes into depth about some of the struggles that are being faced by the stakeholders and what is being done about it, this is a great source to utilize. The point-of-view that this source portrays is obvious from its title. The main idea that this source is getting across is that working for delivery companies is unsafe and that these workers should be taken more care of. Amazon workers have to touch hundred, and maybe even thousands, of different items that have to be packaged, which means that they have to live with the possibility of being exposed to the virus as they are not provided with the proper protective equipment. Furthermore, InstaCart workers are asking for higher pay to offset the risks they are taking to deliver goods to people's houses.
U.S. delivery drivers exposed on frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic. (2020, April 1). The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/01/business/corporate-business/delivery-driver-exposed-coronavirus/#.Xo326IhKjD4
The Japan Times is a news website, and this particular article is a secondary source. It provides insight as to how the rapidly changing levels of social contact reflects on the amount of stress that is felt by workers. This can be compared to the experiences of other employees who have seen a spike in risky social contact due to panic buying. The title of this source made it easy to determine that this perspective aligns with that of the stakeholders that we are scrutinizing. The main point of this article is that delivery drivers are both proud to be in a position to help in such a difficult time, as well as terrified that they might get sick and, as a result, get their family members at home sick. In response, companies are beginning to provide employees with financial assistance in order to give them a level of protection. For example, UPS gave a few employees a total of $210,000 in order to obtain wipes, gloves, and hand sanitizers. Furthermore, some employers are boosting wages and giving out bonuses for workers who must continue going to their job.