Kroger Decides Workers Not So Heroic After All, Ends $2 Hazard Pay For Employees
While running ads about how much they care.
On March 31st, after immense public pressure, supermarket chain Kroger finally caved and offered their employees "hazard pay" (or "hero pay") of an additional $2 an hour — long after many other businesses had done the same.
This week, they announced that this "hero" pay would end on May 17th, despite no signs of the COVID-19 pandemic ending any time soon — meaning that workers still risk their lives by coming to work every day.
As you can imagine, this has not gone over so well with employees, labor rights advocates or customers, who have been airing their grievances and plans to boycott the company on the Twitter hashtag #KrogerHazardPay.
Breaking: Kroger announced they are stopping their “Hero Pay” May 17th. Hero pay is an extra TWO DOLLARS AN HOUR fo… https://t.co/w7Lseg8O1C
— MrsRobertWeedman (@MrsRobertWeedman) 1588938198.0
@kroger Meanwhile, the actual store workers will be losing #KrogerHazardPay Hard no on shopping @kroger.… https: //t.co/a2UXySO5kr
— Miguel De la Gente Del Lobo (@Miguel De la Gente Del Lobo) 1589009947.0
#KrogerHazardPay We have options, Kroger. Companies that screw their workers - without whom you’d be locked and s… https: //t.co/DAmNnPWfe2
— Sue Bacca (@Sue Bacca) 1589024994.0
Presidents of Local Unions in KY, OH, MI, and IN have sent a joint letter in solidarity to Kroger Company CEO Rodne… https: //t.co/GeTXEQIkm4
— UFCW Local 75 (@UFCW Local 75) 1588784411.0
Technically, I too am a Kroger customer — the company owns Mariano's, which is where I usually shop when I'm home in Chicago — and even though it's the closest grocery store to me, I will happily travel in order to go to a grocery store that values its workers.
Representatives from Kroger explained their stupid and callous decision to NYMag:
In a statement to Intelligencer, Kroger confirmed that the 'hero bonus' will end this month. "In the coming months, we know that our associates' needs will continue to evolve and change as our country recovers," said Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokesperson. "Our commitment is that we will continue to listen and be responsive, empowering us to make decisions that advance the needs of our associates, customers, communities and business. We continuously evaluate employee compensation and benefits packages. Our average hourly wage is $15 and with benefits factored in, like health care, the hourly wage is over $20."
It's likely that Kroger thought about it and decided that with so many people out of work, they didn't really need to pay their employees more to keep them working and risking their lives because they could easily replace any who quit (or who got sick) or who just complained too much with scabs.
As if that isn't gross enough, the company is also now claiming that they "accidentally overpaid" hazard pay to their employees and is sending them all letters asking them to pay it back ... with the hazard pay they will no longer be getting, we guess.
we need workplace democracy so absolutely heinous shit like this won't happen https: //t.co/S4gQYZrkAE
— Rachel Kahn (@Rachel Kahn) 1589034652.0
Just out of curiosity, I would love to know how much money it cost to produce and run this ad about how very much they love and appreciate all their associates are doing during this "uncertain time."
Thank You Associates For Keeping America Fed | The Kroger Co. www.youtube.com
Just as a suggestion here — what if instead of spending money running ads about how much they appreciate their employees, they show them, and the world at large how much they appreciate them by letting them keep that $2 an hour bonus for as long as going in to work means they could come home with a deadly virus? Because really, what the hell is the point of spending that much money on virtue signaling this stuff if they're going to be drumming up this kind of negative publicity just a few weeks later?
[ NYMag ]
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awesome. i do the same; buy a prepackaged bag the store has put together , and drop it in the food bank bin myself. i shop at the only store in town that offers that just for that reason. i should have been more clear: i meant monetary donations, i.e. when the cashier asks at point of sale: "would you like to donate $5 to...make a wish (or whatever)?"
i.ve also started dropping off pads, tampons, and toiletries at a secondhand store that donates to the local womens' shelter.
i like the directness of it.
We have a Winco. It’s an ok store, but very crowded, oftentimes people with no masks, coughing and obviously in poor health, with or without the virus. We were happier going to Fred Meyer, seemed to have a better set up, a cart cleaner right in front of you, less people shopping, more cleaners actively working on door handles to frozen foods areas, etc. But this corporate BS will keep us out of there in the future. Thanks very much for this report....missing from the news, local tv or newspaper.