Whole Foods Employees May Strike This Week

Tuesday may be the day that Amazon owned Whole Foods employees will strike over the lack of protections that they are being offered during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Vice, the employees plan to call in sick or stage a “sick-out” in order to demand paid leave, free coronavirus testing, and hazard pay that is double their current wage.

“COVID-19 is a very real threat to the safety of our workforce and customers,” said Whole Worker, the group that is organizing the strike. The group added, “We cannot wait for politicians, institutions, or our own management to step in to protect us.”

Whole Foods employees in New York, Chicago, Louisiana, and California have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 but locations have not closed.

Employees at Instacart and Amazon have already walked out of their jobs on Monday. NPR reports that workers at one Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, walked out after workers said multiple people at the warehouse had coronavirus.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and have not been compensated for this article.