We are facing a national crisis and are required to go to work every day without pay if we get sick. We are told how important it is we stay open to serve our communities. We are putting ourselves at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 while IPP does nothing for it's retail staff on the front lines.

This is our health and money for big corporations is being put ahead of that. It is not a necessity to be open during times like these.

DUNKIN’ IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS. We, as well as our customers, most of whom are elderly, deserve to be protected from the Coronavirus. We are transmitting germs everyday by serving each customer that comes through the drive thru or comes in for takeout. This is not okay and Dunkin should shut down all locations ASAP.

It is unnecessary and unsafe to be open during a PANDEMIC. We are not an essential store and corporate is fighting and begging to stay open, claiming Staples is essential and putting employees and their families at risk. Staples should temporarily close stores and pay their employees for the time being. Many employees are at high risk ages, are immunocompromised, have asthma, etc. This is NOT RIGHT and extremely unsafe. In order to curb this virus and the spread of it, Staples needs to close their doors and pay their employees.

As healthcare workers, we believe all Wisconsin residents, and indeed, in the USA, should have paid sick leave, but for those of us on the front lines, this is non-negotiable.

All of the evidence suggests that seniors, over 60, are more susceptible to this virus.

I work at one of these regional/national chains. When I went to work today for the first time in 3 days, there was no hand sanitizer provided, no masks, no gloves presented, no temperature taken of the people I work with or myself. I have been wearing gloves and using my own hand sanitizer for a week, then during my three days off, things changed dramatically. I have one coworker tell me he has a sore throat the second I walk in. I am absolutely livid at this point. You see, I take care of my elderly parents, especially my father who is in frail health. For the last three days ive worried to death about coming back to work, because I work with people who are all much younger, and honeslty still think this is all a joke. So I hoped it would somehow be ok, but I knew....These places, the people at top, including the managers at the stores, they arent going to have to grab a $20 bill from a guy that just coughed all over it. They wont see the sick people, then have to worry about going home to there elderly parents, they only care about one thing, money. Money, dirty disgusting money, possibly covered in bacteria, being brought back into a shop of people that think that this is still a joke. Well, it didnt take me more than 2 seconds to go home when offered to go. Now, I dont know where I'll get money, because I dont even know if I have a job still. I had to make a decision right that second, my parents health or my money....I chose my parents. I shouldnt have to worry now about my job, about going to work to get sick. To bring it home to my parents. If every person could actually be 100% safe and cared, maybe these places would be fine to have open, but they are not, they still dont care, and are dangerous right now. Please help the elderly and people that do care about this, and shut these places down!

According to the UN, hazard pay is “a form of compensation granted to staff members who have been requested to remain and report for work in duty stations where very hazardous conditions, such as war or active hostilities, prevailed and where the evacuation of families and nonessential staff had taken place.” Employees are experiencing elevated anxiety and fear as they continue their regularly scheduled shifts at the eye of the pandemic storm, especially those who are considered at-risk. Hazard pay would go a long way in terms of increasing morale and knowing their employers recognize the hard work and health risks they face amid this global crisis.

In many stations, management has not so much as read a safety talk about health risks during this pandemic and how to minimize them. No significant steps of any sort have been taken to ensure the safety of employees or customers. A memo sent to station managers and supervisors on March 13 claimed that “ “the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low for the general American public.” This is grossly irresponsible and must be corrected immediately. The CDC and other public health officials have made it clear that everyone should stay home and avoid contact with others as much as possible. By continuing to work as normal, postal employees are put at great risk of contracting the virus and/or spreading it to customers. If the Postal Service fails to act swiftly and boldly, many employees and customers alike will die as a result, and countless more will suffer illness. The gravity of this can hardly be overstated. We must therefore take the above steps to keep the most vulnerable people out of high risk situations entirely, and ensure the greatest care is taken for all others. There is simply no excuse for failure to do so. Given the risk that all employees are taking by continuing to work in a viral pandemic, the great stress the situation puts on them and their families, and the extra time and care that is demanded by safety precautions in their daily work, time and a half hazard pay should be the minimal compensation for those who continue to work. Finally, it is outrageous that employees who are required to work in such a high risk situation should be forced to take leave without pay if they contract the virus as a result. USPS as an employer must take responsibility for the risks it forces upon its employees, and guarantee their continued pay during illness.

-A safe working environment. Please take some initiative to either shut down your stores completely or limit interactions between employees and customers by only utilizing the drive thru area instead of using the lobby area during the outbreak of COVID-19. -Livable wages. While I cannot speak to the kinds of pay offered at corporate locations, I can speak out about the franchise location I work at. People are given bare minimum wages. I work with people who have not had raises in YEARS. Shift managers at my location start off at $8.50/hr. When crew members are not paid fairly and management positions are not awarded with fair wage increases, employees do not have anything to aspire to work towards and as a result are not enthusiastic to be “good” employees. When I was a general manager I was given a grossing annual wage of $31,200 a year (which was $600 a week, despite the fact I was expected to work 60+ hours regularly). Your employees deserve to be paid a living wage, regardless of their job title. If you can’t do that, then you shouldn’t be in business. Please take you pizza parties, $5 gas cards, and faux appreciation and shove it. -Paid sick leave. Employees should not be forced to come into work when they are sick out of fear they won’t be able to afford their rent/bills/groceries/childcare/etc. (probably because they don’t get paid enough in the first place). This is especially important now because families all across America are worried they will not be able to make ends meet during the COVID-19 outbreak if they have to miss work. -Access to healthcare. I cannot speak with certainty how healthcare benefits are handled at corporate store locations, though a quick glance at the Bojangles’ corporate page leads me to assume it is probably minimal. Employees at my location are not awarded any benefits, not even full-time or management positions. As general manager, there were several occasions when I was dealing with health complications and found myself with no insurance. When I reached out to the franchisees, I was met with excuses as to why they could not provide us with any insurance. If employees are using their bodies to do the work for you day in and day out, the least you can do is help ensure they get access to the healthcare they deserve. THE TIME IS NOW. People’s lives are at stake right NOW and Bojangles’ is sending a message that they value profits over people. Please do not underestimate the severity of this virus. It does not care how much money you make. Do not wait until the virus spreads further and things get worse. Show your employees and customers that you are committed to their well-being today. #PEOPLEOVERPROFITS #BOTIMEISOVER

According to the UN, hazard pay is “a form of compensation granted to staff members who have been requested to remain and report for work in duty stations where very hazardous conditions, such as war or active hostilities, prevailed and where the evacuation of families and nonessential staff had taken place.” We are in the middle of a global crisis. Trader Joe’s — and grocery stores at large — are ensuring our communities can safely and comfortably quarantine/self-isolate. But the workers stocking the shelves have not received any sort of security from Trader Joe’s corporate or ALDI, which owns Trader Joe’s, that we can be compensated for the essential service we are providing. Trader Joe’s offered to reimburse sick time for any worker who becomes ill for up to one week. That is insufficient — it requires workers to work until they get sick before they can receive any compensation for putting their lives in danger, and it does nothing to answer concerns of part-time or new crewmembers who don’t qualify for medical insurance should they become ill. Trader Joe’s proudly employs elderly and disabled workers, two demographics that are most at risk for becoming critically ill from COVID-19. Yet those workers can’t afford to avoid work and keep themselves safe. Grocery stores and hospitals are on the frontlines right now, but grocery store workers don’t have access to the same precautions and resources as hospital workers. Hazard pay and guaranteed closure pay provides security, comfort, and increased morale knowing our company has our backs.

We are a labor movement within Whole Foods known as Whole Worker. Just the other day, we exposed Whole Foods’ cruelty and indifference by asking struggling workers to donate their own hard-earned PTO to support one another while being owned by the richest man on the planet. Even in a time of international crisis, Whole Foods continues to show reckless disregard for our safety and chooses profits over life. Sadly, this is not a problem unique to Whole Foods and Amazon. It is in-fact the reality for retail workers all over the world. Therefore, we are calling on all Whole Foods team members and retail workers worldwide to join us in a globally organized sick-out happening on May 1st, 2020. Our leaders and executives believe that profits are more important than our health, our wellbeing and ultimately, our very lives. Join us on May 1st by calling out sick to work and show your leaders that profit is generated by the workers. Please sign this petition and share with your friends, co-workers and fellow retail workers everywhere. We also call on the AFL-CIO and CtW to begin organizing the unorganized and supporting this effort. Instead of donating millions of dollars in anonymous campaign contributions to corrupt politicians who continue to fail working class people, assist in the creation of a sick-out fund for non-union workers and support grassroots organizers fighting for a better world. Additionally, we call for our presidential candidates and other public officials vying for re-election to explicitly stand with us by guaranteeing to pass progressive policies that will improve working conditions and update labor laws, including a clear federal law against anti-union busting. We call for our elected officials to stop accepting dark money from powerful corporations to fund their campaigns to fuel empty promises. Workers in this country fought and died for the right to organize and a 40-hour work week. However, these have been taken away from us as global capitalism has ravaged the gains the labor movement achieved this past century. In the midst of this pandemic and as we stare over the edge towards ecological, political, and economic collapse, we will still continue organizing and fighting. We hope and know a better world is possible, and we know that we can achieve it. Martin Luther King once said: “The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” The coronavirus pandemic has made it clear to workers around the world that corporations are willing to sacrifice their morality and society as a whole for short term gains. All they want is to continue to exercise control to keep us silent. This is why workers need power in the workplace. It is time we flex. It is time we fight back. Please join us on May 1st, 2020. In solidarity, Whole Worker’s National Organizing Committee