UFCW 832 has concerns that these new orders will put retail workers at risk of confrontation and wants to remind members that they have the right to refuse unsafe work.
“It is not the duty of a cashier or any worker in a retail business to be enforcing the law. Especially while many are refusing to bring back any kind of pandemic pay,” said Jeff Traeger, President of UFCW Local 832.
The Union is reaching out to upper management at Unionized locations, asking for detailed plans on how management will be supporting their staff at this time.
The Union would like store management to:
- Ensure they are on the floor, supporting their staff.
- Ensure that UFCW members do not have to enforce the new restrictions
- Hire Security where necessary
- Properly staff the tills to avoid store congestion
- Ensure all staff are aware of the store limits
The Union also wants to remind workers that they have the right to refuse unsafe work. Any customer not wearing a mask can be considered unsafe. And any customer being aggressive can be considered unsafe.
Finally, the latest order is likely going to cause a large amount of panic-shopping tonight, and we ask that customers be kind, be patient and be understanding.
UFCW Local 832 represents over 7,000 workers in retail grocery.