Whole Foods workers plan sick-out for today

Some Whole Foods Market workers will participate in a sick-out on March 31. Some Whole Foods Market workers will participate in a sick-out on March 31. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Whole Foods workers plan sick-out for today 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

If you shop at Whole Foods, you may find the grocery store understaffed on Tuesday.

Organizers of an online petition are encouraging employees at the national chain — which is owned by Amazon — to call in sick on March 31.

A petition posted to coworker.org by the Whole Worker’s National Organizing Committee, which has been attempting to organize the company's workers since 2018, calls for better working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Whole Foods has temporarily relaxed its strict attendance policy, which means that team members can participate in this act of protest without fear of reprisal," the group wrote.

Demands to Amazon include “guaranteed paid leave for all workers who isolate or self-quarantine instead of coming to work” as well as the “reinstatement of health care coverage for part-time and seasonal workers.”

Whole Worker is also looking for hazard pay in the form of double pay during scheduled working hours as well as an immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19, with payment for workers continued.

At least four Whole Foods stores in Chicago, Massachusetts, Florida and New York have had employees test positive for COVID-19.

As grocery store employees continue to work through local and state shelter-in-place orders, Whole Foods is not the first company experiencing new demands from workers. Employees at Trader Joe’s petitioned for better benefits and hazard pay earlier this month and as many as 150,000 workers for grocery delivery service Instacart planned a nationwide strike for Monday, demanding “proper safety precautions” implemented by the company.

Whole Foods provided the following statement when asked about the petition demands:

“As we address unprecedented demand and fulfill a critical need in our communities, Whole Foods Market is committed to prioritizing our Team Members’ wellbeing, while recognizing their extraordinary dedication. We have taken extensive measures to keep people safe, and in addition to social distancing, enhanced deep cleaning and crowd control measures, we continue rolling out new safety protocols in our stores to protect our Team Members who are on the front lines serving our customers. Team Members in our stores and facilities also have access to up to two weeks of paid time off if they test positive for COVID or are quarantined, an additional $2 per hour on top of hourly base pay, and increased overtime pay. Whole Foods Market's longstanding open door policy encourages direct dialogue between Team Members and leadership, feedback which continues to shape the decisions we are making every day.”

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.

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