3 minute read
Seeing Green
Publix made a $1B during coronavirus outbreak; employees till lack hazard pay.
By Colin Wolf and James Bennett II
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Lakeland-based grocer giant Publix reported $11.2 billion in sales over the first fiscal quarter of 2020, with an estimated $1 billion as a esult of the coronavirus pandemic. According to press release from the company, sales through arch 28 were up 16.1% from $9.7 billion durng the same quarter last year.
The first fiscal quarter of 2020 ran from an. 1-March 31. Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered he close of restaurant dining rooms statewide n March 20.
“Never before have we experienced a more hallenging time,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones n a statement. “Our associates’ efforts to serve ur customers and communities have been nothng short of extraordinary. I want to thank our ssociates and couldn’t be more proud to serve longside them.”
The employee-owned company also stated hat stock prices have increased from $48.90 er share to $50.10 per share.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Publix mployees have voiced frustrations with the ompany whose slogan is “Where shopping is a leasure.” Back in March, associates were told hey couldn’t wear masks or gloves because it ight scare away customers. While many raised oncerns over their own safety, employees were nstead compensated with meager raises and 50 gift cards.
After the federal CARES Act was signed nto law on March 17, Publix then announced it ould offer two weeks of paid sick leave to their mployees, but only after they tested positive or COVID-19, which can often take a considerble amount of time and effort that many hourly mployees don’t have.
Of course, a proactive way to take care of our employees, and allow them the financial ecurity to actually go get a coronavirus test, ould be to offer hazard pay.
For months, an online petition has circuated, with over 13,000 people begging the ompany to offer hazard pay, but this has yet o happen.
The company has made numerous efforts o protect employees and customers during the oronavirus pandemic, like installing plexiglass arriers, initiating xtra cleaning efforts, nd finally allowing loves and masks, but any of these examles came incredibly late in the outbreak. As he Tampa Bay Times reported in April, among ts major competitors, Publix was one of the last o institute almost all safety measures, which s unconscionable for any company.
But referring to grocery store employees as “essential,” while patting them on the back for putting their lives in danger as stock prices go through the roof, is probably worse.
There’s nothing heroic about dying so that you could make some dude in a Salt Life shirt a chicken tender Pub Sub. You just get sick, and then you get replaced.
It’s difficult to track these numbers, but grocery store employees are indeed dying from coronavirus. So far, 67 Publix employees in Florida have tested positive for COVID-19 based on media reports, and at least nine of those were in the Tampa Bay area, reports the Times.
But it’s not just grocery workers, all frontline “essential” workers deserve hazard pay, and a good place to start would be offering a “living wage.” This is something Florida will hopefully take care of when a $15 minimum wage is on the ballot in November, but it’s also something a company with earnings higher than Nike could certainly fix right now, especially when there’s no clear end in sight for this pandemic.
To add insult to injury, Publix alsojust started selling its own branded facemask. In case you missed it, until late March, Publix employees weren’tallowed to wear face masks or gloves because they could “scare away customers.”
The green reusable face masks are being sold on the online shop for $15.95 for two, or $67.79 for 10 masks. You can also buy a neck gaiter, which is sort of like a face-covering scarf, for $12.95.
According to the store’s website, the masks will ship on or before May 27, while the neck gaiter will ship by May 15.
Each item also has “Made in the USA!” stated in the product listing.
The masks, which have the company’s logo printed on the bottom right corner, are described as “doublelayered lightweightpolyester, breathable face mask. Designed for everyday use, not medical grade.”
“Features elasticloops to hold in place. Made in USA. Reusable and machine washable. Masks are not medical grade and have not been approved or endorsed by the CDC. Manufacturer makes no representations, express or implied, as to the efficacy of these masks against preventing the spread of any contagions.”
Shipping is free for the mask, with a $7 discount applied at checkout.
Cha-ching.
