About 50,000 ShopRite grocery workers in the tri-state area will receive hazard pay after the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) reached an agreement with the grocery chain.
According to a statement released by UFC, the union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, announced the deal Wednesday.
Official said the agreement with ShopRite recognizes the ongoing risks grocery workers have faced as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and provides retroactive hazard pay ahead of the holiday season that covers all hours worked between July 26 and Aug. 22.
“Grocery workers have been on the frontlines since this pandemic began and continue to put themselves in harm’s way to help families put food on this Thanksgiving. This new UFCW agreement is a decisive victory for ShopRite grocery workers across New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut," UFCW International President Marc Perrone said in a statement.
“Today, UFCW grocery workers are sending a clear message to supermarket chains across the country that this pandemic is far from over, and every CEO must do the right thing by providing the hazard pay that these brave essential workers have earned and deserve as the threat from COVID-19 continues," Perrone's statement said.
UFCW International and UFCW locals have been negotiating with employers across the country this year to recognize grocery workers during COVID-19 pandemic continues.