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.

Walmart employees will be joining the strike action Credit: Getty - Contributor

Target workers have also become frustrated with their working conditions Credit: Getty Images - Getty

An Amazon delivery woman delivers packages amid the coronavirus pandemic as workers become frustrated Credit: EPA

FedEx workers will be joining the demonstration Credit: Getty Images - Getty

This comes after numerous protests amongst frontline employees over the past month, including Amazon workers near Detroit and McDonald's employees in Los Angeles.

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.

The protest comes as:

Daniel Steinbrook, a Whole Foods employee strike organizer, said they were showing "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.

Amazon Workers are set to strike alongside Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and FedEx employees Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Workers claim their employers are profiting from the pandemic Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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 Sun they "object to the irresponsible actions of labor groups in spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon during this unprecedented health and economic crisis."

"The statements made are not supported by facts or representative of the majority of the 500,000 Amazon operations employees in the U.S. who are showing up to work to support their communities," spokesperson Lisa Levandowski said Tuesday.

"What’s true is that masks, temperature checks, hand sanitizer, increased time off, increased pay, and more are standard across our Amazon and Whole Food Market networks already."

Target workers feel they have not been adequately protected Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Whole Food workers are also protesting Friday Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Whole Workers - who represent Whole Foods employees - say there have been 249 cases in at least 131 stores.

A company spokesperson told The Sun worker safety is their "top priority," citing increased pay and benefits, enhanced cleaning protocols, social distancing, crowd control measures, temperature checks and mandated masks.

"Statements made by this group misrepresent the full extent of Whole Foods Market’s actions in response to this crisis and do not represent the collective voice of our more than 95,000 Team Members," she said.

Levandowski insisted Amazon invested heavily in health and safety "through increased safety measures and the procurement of millions of safety supplies and have invested nearly $700 million in increased pay."

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 people 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.

Amazon workers joined forces with four other major companies to protest on May 1 Credit: AFP or licensors

Amazon Workers At Staten Island Warehouse Strike Over Coronavirus Protection Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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.

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is now reportedly worth $1.1 trillion as company stocks hit all time high during the pandemic.

Instacart also hired 300,000 new shoppers in March before announcing 250,000 new jobs this month.

A day in life of an Amazon courier during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak Credit: Reuters

Instacart employee Eric Cohn works amid the coronavirus outbreak Credit: Reuters

While companies faced criticism for cashing in on the crisis, they increased hourly pay by $2 at Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

Target told The Sun it has taken numerous measures to protect workers, including cleaning checklanes after each transaction; installing Plexiglass partitions; metering guest traffic; issuing overhead audio messaging reminders; signage; and mandating masks for workers.

"While we take them seriously, the concerns raised are from a very small minority," their spokesperson said.

"The vast majority of our more than 340,000 frontline team members have expressed pride in the role they are playing in helping provide for families across the country during this time of need.

"When concerns have been brought to our attention, we’ve taken additional action."

Workers claimed that for weeks there was little to no social distancing in Amazon warehouses before the company began providing PPE and thoroughly cleaning their premises.

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Amazon says these claims are "not true," citing the 150 significant process changes they have incorporated, including temperature checks.

Workers who flout their social distancing guidelines will get hit with two warnings before being fired, a spokesperson told The Sun.

The Sun also contacted Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, and FedEx for comment Tuesday.

An Amazon worker in a face mask walks by trucks parked at an Amazon facility as the global coronavirus outbreak continued in Bethpage on Long Island in New York Credit: REUTERS

2 McDonald's workers went on strike earlier this month after a female worker tested positive Credit: CBSLA