For the last year, most people have dramatically decreased the number of interactions they have outside their immediate family. A trip to the grocery store has often been the biggest 鈥� and riskiest 鈥� outing of the week.
But for the workers at those stores, it鈥檚 been a different story.
鈥淲hile so many folks sat at home, my members drove to work when there wasn鈥檛 any traffic on the road and had lines waiting for them at work of folks wanting to buy, you know, toilet paper and Lysol and all that,鈥� said Dan Clay, , a union that represents 28,000 grocery, retail, manufacturing and healthcare workers in Oregon and SW Washington.
A lot of those workers are at the region鈥檚 largest grocery chains like Fred Meyer, Safeway at Albertsons, and it hasn鈥檛 been easy for them.
鈥淲e have had numerous examples where a customer has engaged with one of our members,鈥� Clay said. 鈥淎nd in some cases, they pulled off their masks and spit at them because of their anger over being even asked to wear a mask.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been hell over the last year for them.鈥�
As of this week, of the COVID-19 vaccine. It鈥檚 a huge relief to healthcare workers, teachers and older adults. But for future vaccinations designates that grocery workers in Oregon aren鈥檛 eligible for vaccination until May 1. Brown鈥檚 focus has been on getting students back to school.
Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said this week that grocery workers will be eligible along with many other essential workers
In a statement, UFCW local 555 said, 鈥淕overnor Brown should follow Governor Inslee鈥檚 competent lead: put people before politics and bring grocery workers to the front of the vaccination line.鈥�
鈥淲e think that makes sense and not only do we think that makes sense,鈥� Clay said, 鈥渢he Center for Disease Control thinks that makes sense.鈥�
that essential workers like grocery store workers be vaccinated ahead of people aged 65-74 years. But Brown鈥檚 plan has older adults eligible for vaccination now, while grocery workers will wait another eight weeks.
鈥淢y members have to come face to face with the virus every day,鈥� Clay said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking on significant risks, and generally in society when people take on significant risks we also step up to make sure those folks have significant protections as well.鈥�
Beyond vaccine eligibility, Clay says grocery workers still need more protections if they do contract a case of COVID-19.
鈥淯nder Oregon鈥檚 work comp laws, it鈥檚 almost impossible to get an employer-covered, self-insured work comp plan to cover a COVID infection because it鈥檚 impossible to prove that鈥檚 where you got it,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of folks in retail don鈥檛 have insurance: it鈥檚 expensive, and retail doesn鈥檛 pay a lot.鈥�
Clay said that lack of insurance forces many workers to hold off on treating a potential infection until they can no longer ignore it. That leads to escalating medical bills, as well as a greater risk to the general public.
鈥淲e鈥檝e wanted some support, like making sure these folks get to go to the doctor,鈥� Clay said, 鈥渁nd we haven鈥檛 seen those kinds of things.鈥�
Ultimately though, Clay says the wait for vaccine eligibility is frustrating for workers who鈥檝e been lauded as essential since the beginning of the pandemic. He said he hopes Governor Brown and the OHA will hear his union鈥檚 call to move grocery workers up in the eligibility queue.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e an essential employee I think that makes sense,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think you deserve that.
鈥淵ou can ask any essential employee out there. What鈥檚 in their mind? That I get called essential, but I get treated as if I鈥檓 disposable,鈥� he added.
Listen to Dan Clay鈥檚 full conversation with OPB Weekend Edition Host John Notarianni using the audio player above
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