Walmart workers will call out of work, use tracker to protect themselves from COVID-19

Walmart workers, saying the company is failing to inform and protect them from the spread of COVID-19, will start tracking cases themselves and stay home from work for a day in protest.

Over 500 Walmart employees were expected to not report to their jobs Wednesday to signal the launch of a new mapping system that will enable workers to report when colleagues have contracted the virus, says United for Respect, the non-profit group that created the tracking website.

Employees will also be able to anonymously report when poor safety conditions exist inside their stores.

“The rise of deaths and infections of Walmart associates show clearly that the company is not only failing to keep its associates and customers safe, but also failing to communicate clearly about store conditions,’’ Ruby Ann Woolwine, a worker at a Michigan Walmart, said in a press statement. “We can’t wait for more half-measures. We’re taking matters into our own hands to get the information we deserve to know.”

Walmart says that workers safety is a priority. "This is why we’re conducting health screens and daily temperature checks and providing masks and gloves to all associates,'' said Walmart spokesperson Jami Lamontagne. 

Walmart has also put sneeze guards at registers, implemented cleaning standards and limited how many people can be in stores. And it's offering emergency paid leave and has given workers cash bonuses.

But some Walmart employees say the retailer can do much more. Their actions Wednesday are the latest by workers across companies and industries who say they are risking their health as they stock shelves, staff counters and deliver goods in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic but can't get the paid time off or supplies they need to keep themselves safe.

United for Respect says that Walmart is not enforcing the social spacing health officials recommend to help slow the spread of the virus. They also say the retailer is not providing sufficient safety equipment, hazard pay or paid sick leave.

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And workers and customers are being kept in the dark about how many people working in stores have been infected, United for Respect says.

Veronica Morris, who works for a Walmart in Oroville, California, said she would be among those calling in to say she would not be at work.  

"I was feeling very unsafe at work every day,'' Morris said in a Facebook presentation coordinated by United for Respect Wednesday. "The amount of customers seems like more than ever... I’m calling in and I’m doing what I think is necessary.’’

Employees of Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods and Target have also staged or planned walkouts and strikes in recent weeks. 

Last week, more than 350 Amazon warehouse workers in 50 locations said they would call out from their jobs starting Tuesday, according to Athena, a coalition of local and national organizations representing workers. 

Employees at Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Target, FedEx and Walmart are reportedly set to walk out on May 1, or International Workers' Day, calling on the public to not cross the picket lines as they put a spotlight on the need for better pay and protections. 

Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones