CINCINNATI and WASHINGTON,
April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/
-- Today, The Kroger Co., America's largest supermarket,
and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
(UFCW), America's largest food and retail union, issued a
joint statement calling on federal and state government to take
swift action to designate associates at grocery stores as "extended
first responders" or "emergency personnel." Today's statement
follows both Kroger's and the UFCW's direct advocacy on this topic
with elected officials over the last five weeks.
Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney
McMullen and UFCW International President
Marc Perrone released the
following statement:
"Since the onset of this pandemic, Kroger family of companies
associates, who are also members of the UFCW, have been working
tirelessly to make sure that millions of American families have the
fresh food and products they need. As all Americans are now
witnessing - grocery workers play a critical role in our
communities and they must be protected.
"Working together, Kroger and the UFCW have already taken
significant steps to keep Kroger associates safe and reward them
for their incredible sacrifices throughout this ongoing crisis. The
truth is more must be done and it must be done now.
"Given the significant daily risk these workers face, we are
calling on all of our federal and state leaders to take immediate
action. Specifically, we are requesting our nation's leaders to
assign a temporary designation of first responder or emergency
personnel status for all grocery workers. Make no mistake, this
designation is absolutely critical as it will ensure these
frontline workers have priority access to personal protection
equipment like masks and gloves.
"This urgent call for temporary first responder or
emergency personnel status is not just about
protecting grocery store workers; it is also about
protecting the customers they serve and our nation's food supply in
general.
"We urge our national and statewide elected leaders to act now
and protect these essential workers."
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our
Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family
of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11
million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience
under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating
#ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us,
visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
About the UFCW
The UFCW is the largest private
sector union in the United States,
representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in
grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and
other industries. Our members help put food on our nation's tables
and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto
Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.