QFC, Fred Meyer grocery workers earn extra money after protesting end of 'Hero Pay'
They've been on the front lines of the pandemic for months making sure grocery stores are stocked.
Now, QFC and Fred Meyer grocery store workers are protesting the end of their so-called “Hero Pay”-- a $2 dollar hourly bonus by parent company Kroger.
After Friday's nationwide protests, Kroger grocery employees got word they will now get a one-time bonus called "Thank You Pay.”
Kroger said the Hero Pay bonus that started in late March was temporary and meant to end in mid-May.
But many grocery store workers are fighting to keep it because they say it’s still dangerous for them to go to work.
“Grocery store work has gotten harder and more hazardous,” said one demonstrator on Friday in Burien.
Dozens of workers protested in front of the Fred Meyer store in Burien, claiming that it’s unfair that Kroger is ending the extra $2-an-hour-pay for grocery store employees Sunday, May 17.
“This pay --$2 an hour --is really critical," said Sara Cherin, Chief of Staff of UFCW Local 21. "These workers are risking their health and their family’s health to come to work every day to make sure that we’re fed."
“I’m pretty reluctant to be at work right now to be honest," said Sherman Jenne, who is a cashier at the Fred Meyer grocery store where protesters gathered. "I don’t want to be working during a pandemic. I don’t want to keep putting my life on the line here, but I don’t have any other choice right now."
Maria Rouse-Williams also works at the Burien Fred Meyer store.
“The essential, hazard Hero Pay is going to make sure we can have our families at home because bills don’t stop," Rouse-Williams said. "Rent doesn’t stop. Giving us that $2 pay is essential for us to function."
Organizers say Kroger grocery workers protested in Burien, Bellingham, as well and across the country today.
In the middle of the outcry, Kroger announced in a written statement Friday it’s offering employees a “Thank You Pay” bonus.
- $400 for full-time workers,
- $200 for part-time employees
Kroger said it's recognizing employees for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bonus follows “the Appreciation Pay” and the "Hero Pay" bonuses workers have been getting, the company said.
“Our associates have been instrumental in feeding America while also helping to flatten the curve during the initial phases of the pandemic. To recognize and thank our associates for their incredible work during this historic time, we offered special pay in March, April and May,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO.
“As the country moves toward reopening, we will continue to safeguard our associates’ health and well-being and recognize their work. At the same time, we will continue running a sustainable business that provides steady employment and opportunities to learn and grow for over half a million associates.”
In response to the newly announced bonus, UFCW Local 21 released this written statement;
"Kroger seems to have heard us, but it is not good enough. Kroger’s decision today shows that we can have an impact, and that it is important for workers, communities and unions to protest against decisions that harm workers...Kroger still needs to be clear on their commitment to support workers for the entire pandemic and to make stores safer with limiting the number of shoppers in stores to allow for safe social distancing and guaranteeing that customers wear masks. This not over, we will continue to push for Hero Pay.”
UFCW Local 21 represents 25,000 grocery workers in Puget Sound. It said the hazards employees face due to COVID-19 are real.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect them-- make sure they have proper PPE," Cherin said. "We advocated for plexiglass and the danger is still there. We think the pay should be there too."
"Maybe stalls are a little bit further apart. We still have to stand there and help every single last customer. Things have not really changed since the start of quarantine," said Rouse-Williams.
The national grocery workers union said dozens of employees have died from COVID-19 and that thousands have tested positive.
Kroger said it will continue its COVID-19 Emergency Leave guidelines "to provide paid time off to associates most directly affected by the virus or experiencing related symptoms," according to a written statement.
We checked with Safeway, Target, and Costco. Many of those stores plan on ending the added pay boost for their workers at the end of May.
