Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Many employers for non-essential work shifted to teleworking to avoid infections in office environments at the suggestion of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and by the end of March 2020, all 50 states in the U.S. had confirmed cases and deaths and had initiated stay-at-home orders.
[citation needed] During the COVID-19 pandemic an array of social inequalities were exposed including the flaws of the prison system in the US that faltered under the public health emergency.
60 women being held at an ICE facility Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington organized a hunger strike demanding the release of all vulnerable people.
[14] Many commercial tenants, notably retailers, have called the situation a "force majeure"[15] as rationale for voiding lease agreements, although landlords still have to make mortgage payments.
[15] These include Cheesecake Factory,[16][17] Mattress Firm[18] and Subway[15] refused to pay April 2020 rent due to the pandemic,[19] and resulting unemployment.
[26] A petition organized by the Kulin Nations (Melbourne) branch of the Industrial Workers of the World recorded nearly 20,000 signatures on its page.
PhD students at Columbia University went on strike stating that their rent should be canceled, research stipends increased, and an extra year added to their programs to make up for lost time due to the pandemic.
Due to COVID-19 gathering limitations, employees on strike had to use their creativity to develop different virtual picketing techniques to raise awareness.
[39] Despite warnings from the CDC, jobs deemed "essential" for the function of society required employees to report to work amidst the pandemic.
[40] On May 1, 2020, essential workers at Amazon, Instacart, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods organized a nationwide strike over lack of safety precautions, hazard pay, and benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.
[citation needed] Unions have said in numerous statements that the inadequate preparations by these companies to make employees safe has led to higher illnesses and deaths from COVID-19.
Several major gatherings pertaining to the strike occurred in Staten Island,[43][44] near what many consider is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
[46] Several high-profile politicians including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont[41][47] and Kamala Harris of California expressed solidarity with the workers.
Zammit said on the sickouts "the fact is that today the overwhelming majority of our more than 840,000 employees around the world are at work as usual continuing to support getting people in their communities the items they need during these challenging times.
Specifically, he stated that Amazon expects to spend more than $800 million in the first half of the year on COVID-19 safety measures, such as company-provided face masks, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.
This included higher wages, hazard pay, child care, paid sick leave for older and immunocomprised workers.
[65] On 24 September, following disputes over labor contracts, workers for Metro Transit in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota authorized strike action if talks continued to stall.
[69] In late March 2020, 50 workers at a Purdue poultry processing plant in Kathleen, Georgia went on a wildcat strike over working conditions and hazard pay.
[70] On 27 April, employees walked out of the Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing plant in Cold Spring, Minnesota, in protest of how the firm is handling worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[71] On 7 May, fruit packing workers at Allan Brothers, in Washington state, walked off the job and protested outside the plant, saying the company has been lax and inconsistent about COVID-19 prevention, and asking for hazard pay.
Workers at General Electric walked off the job demanding to re-tool the factories to make ventilators,[76] which are in dire short supply due to the pandemic.
[65] Around 100 restaurant and retail employees in Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina went on a single day digital strike against unsafe working conditions and low pay and reduced hours.
[94] In Kent, United Kingdom, bin collectors and street cleaners working for Medway Council's contractor, Norse Group, balloted unanimously to strike over a lack of protective clothing and unsafe conditions regarding the virus.
[97] Wharf workers were stood down in the Port of Melbourne after they refused to unload cargo from a Chinese ship due to fears about coronavirus safety.
