OPINION: Grocery store workers are first responders. Let’s make it official.
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Eagle photo by David Brand
By Costa Constantinides
Hopefully you’re reading this from your living room or makeshift home office. Maybe you just poured a cup of coffee made from the bag of beans you picked up this weekend. Chances are the grocery store where you got it was stocked with supplies, perhaps the only normalcy we have in our life right now.
That’s courtesy of the thousands of men and women who still commute to work in grocery stores, fill the shelves, and keep New York City running amid the COVID-19 crisis. These are the essential workers who continue to put their own health on the line so that we can now make more meals at home. And it’s for that public service they provide that we should designate them first responders, so that they in turn can get the pay, benefits, and protections that come with the recognition.
Grocery store and pharmacy employees cannot telecommute. When the delivery trucks roll up early in the morning, they’re there to unload them. As we rush to refill our prescriptions before hunkering down in our apartments, they’re diligently making sure our pharmacies run smoothly. When nearly everything else — from barbershops to bars — have shut down, they’re working overtime to keep our supply chains moving.
There is no doubt they are on the front lines of this crisis.
Councilmember Costa Constantinides represents District 22 in Western Queens and is a candidate for Queens borough president. Photo courtesy of Constantinides’ Office
For the risks our workers face, they deserve to receive hazard pay — a salary bump in recognition of this risky work. UFCW Local 1500 and RWDSU Local 338 have already worked with grocery stores such as Fairway Market, ShopRite and Stop & Shop to secure raises for their employees at least into late spring. All supermarket chains should follow suit and work with the unions to give these employees a salary that matches their labor conditions.
A first-responder designation also ensures our grocery store workers can put in the necessary hours to keep our City moving. Right now, many are caught between a rock and a hard place in finding affordable childcare with New York City schools closed and doing the long shifts necessary right now. Those currently qualified as first responders — nurses, cops, and firefighters — have access to quality, free childcare, so they can focus on doing their best work.
Other states have already set a precedent. Minnesota prioritized food distribution workers a little more than a week ago for this exact purpose. Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order noted childcare for these employees was crucial, so the North Star State could ensure “the public continues to receive these vital services.” Vermont and Michigan were both quick to follow suit.
Deeming grocery store workers as first responders also enables them to get access to personal protective equipment (PPE), for which there’s a dire shortage right now. Right now, there are some workers using makeshift materials to protect themselves. Some stores should be commended for the protective measures they’ve put in place, but nothing short of a massive federal mobilization will get them the face masks they deserve. First responders get the priority for PPE once states are able to get a hold of them, and grocery store workers should be added to the list once our healthcare workers are taken care of.
Most of all, the best thing all of us can do is to appreciate the hard work our grocery store employees have done. To help them stay safe, sit down to make a thorough list of what you need before your next grocery run to limit the number of trips you take. If the store looks crowded and you have the ability to come back later, wait until it’s less busy. And simply say thank you to a cashier or that person stocking the shelves. They’re here to help you.
Councilmember Costa Constantinides represents District 22 in Western Queens and is chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection. He is a candidate for Queens borough president.
