Kroger's to Stop 'Hero Pay'

Cincinnati, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) – Kroger’s will end its “hero Pay” for frontline workers Sunday, May 17.

The Cincinnati-based grocery store chain had instituted a $2 per hour bonus for more than 460,000 of its employees starting in April. The bonus pay was given to hourly frontline associates in retail stores, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, central fills, pharmacies and contact call centers, after negotiations with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

The negotiations also included measures to keep Kroger employees safe, including: Providing emergency paid leave if an associate is affected by COVID-19, adding more cleaning and sanitation protocols, shortening store hours to give associates more time to stock shelves and clean, installing plexiglass partitions, adding access to mental health services to support associates mental and physical well-being, and adding floor decals to promote social distancing.

But the bonus pay was only intended to last for three weeks, according to the original release, and now that time is expiring.

In an open letter to Kroger, the UFWC condemned the company for stopping its Hero Pay before its competitors did and for saying that the country is starting to return to normal.

“Statements by Kroger about ‘starting the path to recovery’ and ‘beginning to see a return to normal’ do not reflect the reality of the increasing number of cases and deaths across the country. No one knows how long this will last and no one knows what normal will look like when the threat of COVID-19 is over,” the UFCW’s letter said. “There is no path to recovery from a virus that has no cure. The members of the UFCW that work for you are stocking shelves, bagging groceries, cleaning and running cash registers while wearing masks and gloves to try to save their lives and the lives of their families. They do this every day to protect themselves from customers who are not required to wear the same PPE.”

Kroger’s move comes just days after it said it took extra precautions to help its employees, including investing in more PPEs for employees, providing COVID-19 testing to its employees, providing support for the mental and physical health of Kroger associates by investing in healthcare coverage and retirement benefits, and providing $5 million to its Helping Hands fund to give employees financial assistance to associates who are facing hardship due to COVID-19, including lack of access to childcare.

"At Kroger, the safety and health of our associates and customers remains our top priority during this unprecedented time," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer in a press release. "Our associates have worked tirelessly to provide communities continued access to fresh, affordable food. We are dedicated to providing support and gratitude to our associates across the country."

The company said it is continuing its commitment to its employees.

“In the coming months, we know that our associates’ needs will continue to evolve and change as our country recovers,” Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokesperson, told The Intelligencer. “Our commitment is that we will continue to listen and be responsive, empowering us to make decisions that advance the needs of our associates, customers, communities and business. We continuously evaluate employee compensation and benefits packages. Our average hourly wage is $15 and with benefits factored in, like health care, the hourly wage is over $20.”

Since the start of the pandemic, grocery store employees have been hit hard by the coronavirus. In a survey of grocery workers in mid-April, the UFCW found that 30 UFCW members have died and that nearly 3,000 UFCW food and grocery workers have been directly impacted by COVID-19.

UFCW and Kroger’s joined other grocery chains in asking federal and state officials to identify grocery store workers as “temporary first responder” or “emergency personnel,” which would give those employees priority in getting PPEs.

"Given the significant daily risk these workers face, we are calling on all of our federal and state leaders to take immediate action," McMullen said in April. "Make no mistake, this designation is absolutely critical as it will ensure these frontline workers have priority access to personal protection equipment like masks and gloves.”

Marc Perrone, president of the UFCW, said a recent survey by his organization found that thousands of grocery workers have been directly impacted by COVID-19.

“The coronavirus pandemic represents the greatest health and safety crisis that America’s grocery and food workers have ever faced,” he said in a statement at the time. “Since the beginning of the outbreak, these workers have been on the front lines of this terrible pandemic. While tens of millions of Americans were told to work from home for their safety, grocery store and food workers have never had that option. More must be done to protect them and our food supply now.”

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