Target Workers Call For More Safety Measures, Sick-Out Planned For May 1
Target (TGT) workers are reportedly planning a massive sick-out on May 1 to protest their personal safety as they continue to work in stores during the coronavirus pandemic.
The news of the sick-out, which was posted on the employee activist group site, Target Workers Unite, comes as the retailer announced on Thursday that it was extending the $2 an hour pay raise for its store employees during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Target Workers Unite site calls for a sickout on May 1 saying that the workers are “essential, but corporate has continued to act as if we’re disposable. We are not disposable!”
Target has taken a number of initiatives to keep its employees and customers safe as the coronavirus outbreak continues. It has limited its store hours to allow for more cleaning and sanitation. The company is also limiting the number of customers allowed in its stores at any one time to encourage social distancing among consumers. Employees are also being given masks and gloves to wear during their shifts.
Despite the safety measures that Target has taken, some employees say the retailer is not doing enough to keep them safe. Adam Ryan, who is a member of Target Workers Unite and an employee at Target in Virginia, told the Chicago Tribune that the safety measures are too lax.
“They’re leaving it to the discretion of customers to do the responsible things…but you give them an inch and they take a mile,” he said. “We’re not getting social distancing and safe spacing.”
Many of Target’s customers have shifted their buying to the company’s e-commerce site over the last month. The retailer’s online sales were up 275%, with products such as apparel and accessories seeing an overall decrease as consumers buy up essential items.
Shares of Target stock weere down 2.06% as of 2:52 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
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