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Amazon and Instacart Employees Strike for COVID-19 Pay

by Nicholas Saraceno | March 30, 2020

According to NPR, Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, NY, and Instacart’s grocery delivery workers nationwide plan to walk off their jobs on Monday. They are demanding stepped-up protection and pay as they continue to work while much of the country is asked to isolate as a safeguard against the coronavirus.

The strikes come as both Amazon and Instacart have said they plan to hire tens of thousands of new workers. Online shopping and grocery home delivery are skyrocketing as much of the nation hunkers down and people stay at home, following orders and recommendations from the federal and local governments.

The workers are asking for a variety of changes:

• Workers from both Amazon and Instacart want more access to paid sick time off. At this time, it’s available only to those who have tested positive for the coronavirus or get placed on mandatory self-quarantine.

• Amazon workers want their warehouse to be closed for a longer cleaning, with guaranteed pay.

• Instacart’s grocery delivery gig workers are asking for disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer and better pay to offset the risk they are taking.

Workers at Amazon’s Staten Island facility have said that multiple people at the warehouse have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Some of them plan to walk off the job to pressure the company to close the warehouse for an extended deep cleaning.

At Amazon, which employs some 800,000 people, workers have diagnosed positively for COVID-19 in at least 11 warehouses, forcing a prolonged closure of at least one warehouse in Kentucky. The company says it has “taken extreme measures to keep people safe,” including allowing unlimited unpaid leave time for employees who feel uncomfortable working.

Amazon says its decision on whether to close a warehouse for cleaning or for how long depends on where the sick workers were in the building, for how long, how long ago and other assessments. The company has also temporarily raised its pay by $2 an hour through April.

Instacart’s grocery delivery workers are not employees, but independent contractors. They say the company has not provided them with proper protective items like disinfectants, hazard pay of an extra $5 per order and a higher default tip in the settings of the app.

Instacart on Sunday said it would distribute supplies, including hand sanitizer, to more workers and that it would change some tipping settings, but did not address paid sick leave for its contractors.

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