Trader Joe's is setting up a "special bonus pool" for store employees based on recent sales increases, according to an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider.

The bonus pool will be divided among store employees based on their hours worked.

The memo was sent after a petition started circulating online demanding hazard pay for Trader Joe's workers. The petition had more than 10,000 signatures on Tuesday.

Trader Joe's did not respond to a request for comment.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Trader Joe's is planning to pay bonuses to store employees amid an "unprecedented increase" in sales due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an internal company memo.

The memo, which was reviewed by Business Insider, said the grocer is planning to set up a "special bonus pool" for each store based on the recent sales increases.

Each store's bonus pool will be divided equally among store employees based on their hours worked during the sales period, according to the memo.

"We want to acknowledge the incredible hard work and dedication of our Crew Members in supporting each other and our communities by sharing the financial benefit of this sales increase with our store crew who have worked so hard during the past several weeks, and for as long as this challenge remains," the memo said.

The memo was sent Monday, one day after a petition started circulating online demanding that Trader Joe's give workers hazard pay and guaranteed wages in case of store closures. Hazard pay is extra compensation for employees exposed to dangerous conditions. The petition asks for a hazard-pay rate of time-and-a-half.

"Trader Joe's workers — from the distribution warehouses to the stores — need hazard pay now," says the petition, which had more than 10,000 signatures as of Tuesday. "We are exposing ourselves (and our loved ones) to COVID-19. We aren't being paid for the extra work we're doing or the risk we're undertaking. We're being told we can't wear gloves. We are terrified."

Trader Joe's did not respond to a request for comment on the memo or petition.