Kroger: Grocery workers should be designated as ‘emergency personnel’

The nation’s largest supermarket company and  the largest food and retail union in the U.S. want  grocery store workers to be labeled as first responders so they can have priority in receiving personal protection equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kroger Co. and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)  issued a joint statement calling on federal and state government  to take swift action  and assign a temporary designation of “first responder” or “emergency personnel” status to all grocery store workers.

“Make no mistake, this designation is absolutely critical as it will ensure these frontline workers have priority access to personal protection equipment like masks and gloves, “ stated Kroger chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen and UFCW president Marc Perrone. “This urgent call for temporary first responder or emergency personnel status is not just about protecting grocery store workers; it is also about protecting the customers they serve and our nation's food supply in general. We urge our national and statewide elected leaders to act now and protect these essential workers.”