[rad-green] Owned by Jeff Bezos, Whole Foods Wants Workers to Pay for Colleagues' Sick Leave During Coronavirus Pandemic
"Sid Shniad" (via rad-green Mailing List) <[email protected]> Sat, 14 Mar 2020 16:31:26 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.politics.communism.environmental |
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| Message-ID | <CACKppcy5DebAza8R-sW3=1cE5NONj=w1gF50umJkJyZyMUOw7Q@mail.gmail.com> |
This is a multi-part message in MIME format... ------------=_1584228714-7785-122088 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000ce3b1f05a0d8fc89" --000000000000ce3b1f05a0d8fc89 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/13/grotesque-level-greed-owned-w= orlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers <https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/13/grotesque-level-greed-owned-w= orlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers>Common Dreams March 13, 2020'Grotesque Level of Greed': Owned by World's Richest Man Jeff Bezos, Whole Foods Wants Workers to Pay for Colleagues' Sick Leave During Coronavirus Pandemic"Absolute bullshit. With the amount Jeff Bezos makes in one day, he could shut stores down and pay employees to stay safe."by Jon Queally, staff writer* [image: A general view of people shopping in the egg and dairy case on March 13, 2020 at Whole Foods Merket in Vauxhall, NJ. (Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)] *A general view of people shopping in the egg and dairy case on March 13, 2020 at Whole Foods Market in Vauxhall, New Jersey. (Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)* When progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders say "now is the time for solidarity <https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/12/now-time-solidarity-bernie-sa= nders-addresses-health-and-economic-crisis-facing-us>" amid the coronavirus outbreak, they likely do not mean that employees of Whole Foods=E2=80=94owned by the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos=E2=80=94sh= ould be asked to give their own accrued paid sick days to their co-workers who have either contracted the deadly virus or been forced to take time out of work because of what is now a global pandemic. But that is exactly what executives with the grocery chain are asking its employers to do, even though Bezos' could effectively give them unlimited paid sick leave during the current national emergency without barely a scratch in his bank account. In a letter sent to employees earlier this week, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey explained that one of the options available to workers was for them to "donate" their "paid time off" (pto) days to a pool that other workers could draw from. Journalist Lauren Kaori Gurley, who broke the story with reporting <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/93988v/whole-foods-suggests-that-worker= s-share-paid-time-off-during-coronavirus> for *Motherboard*, notes that "as a subsidiary of Amazon, the world's biggest company, Whole Foods could easily afford to pay its hourly employees for sick days taken during the coronavirus outbreak without breaking the bank. Instead, the company has put the onus back on workers, and they're not happy about it." In Mackey's letter reviewed by *Motherboard*, the executive stated: "Team Members who have a medical emergency or death in their immediate family can receive donated PTO hours, not only from Team Members in their own location, but also from Team Members across the country." Though such labor practices are not unusual=E2=80=94with workers in various= sectors and industries pooling accumulated sick leave for a colleague experiencing a long-term illness=E2=80=94doing so in the face of a global pandemic, in w= hich all members of society are equally at heightened risk, the move was seen by critics as shortsighted, tone deaf, and cruel. The fabulous wealth of Bezos only increased the ire for many. "Whole Foods is owned by Amazon whose CEO and biggest shareholder is the world's richest man," tweeted <https://twitter.com/adamjohnsonNYC/status/1238544711813607424> progressive media critic and journalist Adam Johnson. "Runaway capitalism is when Whole Foods suggests employees trade vacation time to address coronavirus rather than offer paid leave, all while the CEO rakes in ~$15 million a year in stocks, benefits, and more," said <https://twitter.com/trish_zornio/status/1238555495767498752> Trish Zornio, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Colorado this year. "You've got the richest man in the world asking people who are living paycheck to paycheck to donate to each other," Matthew Hunt, a former Whole Foods employee who led a drive to unionize Whole Foods workers, told *Motherboard*. "That's absolute bullshit. With the amount Jeff Bezos makes in one day, he could shut stores down and pay employees to stay safe." --=20 ---=20 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "= Sid-l" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e= mail to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/= sid-l/CACKppcy5DebAza8R-sW3%3D1cE5NONj%3Dw1gF50umJkJyZyMUOw7Q%40mail.gmail.= com. --000000000000ce3b1f05a0d8fc89 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default"><b><font face=3D"georgia, ser= if"><a href=3D"https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/13/grotesque-level= -greed-owned-worlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers" targe= t=3D"_blank">https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/13/grotesque-level-g= reed-owned-worlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos-whole-foods-wants-workers</a><br><= br><font size=3D"4">Common Dreams=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 March 1= 3, 2020</font><br><br><font size=3D"6">'Grotesque Level of Greed': = Owned by World's Richest Man Jeff Bezos, Whole Foods Wants Workers to P= ay for Colleagues' Sick Leave During Coronavirus Pandemic</font><br><br= ><font size=3D"4">"Absolute bullshit. With the amount Jeff Bezos makes= in one day, he could shut stores down and pay employees to stay safe."= ;</font><br><br><font size=3D"4">by Jon Queally, staff writer</font></font>= </b></div><div class=3D"gmail_default"><font face=3D"georgia, serif"><br></= font><div style=3D"font-size:17px;box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-siz= ing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inh= erit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif"><img src=3D"https://w= ww.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_large/public/headlines/wh= ole_foods_0.jpg?itok=3DwjmPGV79" width=3D"472" height=3D"247" alt=3D"A gene= ral view of people shopping in the egg and dairy case on March 13, 2020 at = Whole Foods Merket in Vauxhall, NJ. (Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire v= ia Getty Images)" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;border:0px;margin-right:0px">= </font></div></div></div></div><div style=3D"font-size:12px;box-sizing:inhe= rit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:in= itial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:i= nitial;padding:5px 10px"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"bo= x-sizing:inherit"><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px"><font color=3D= "#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif"><b style=3D"background-color:rgb(255,255,= 255)">A general view of people shopping in the egg and dairy case on March = 13, 2020 at Whole Foods Market in Vauxhall, New Jersey. (Photo: Rich Graess= le/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)</b></font></p></div></div></div><div s= tyle=3D"font-size:17px;box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit= "><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><p st= yle=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">= When progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders say "<a href=3D"https://www= .commondreams.org/news/2020/03/12/now-time-solidarity-bernie-sanders-addres= ses-health-and-economic-crisis-facing-us" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;backg= round:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">now is the time = for solidarity</a>" amid the coronavirus outbreak, they likely do not = mean that employees of Whole Foods=E2=80=94owned by the world's richest= man, Jeff Bezos=E2=80=94should be asked to give their own accrued paid sic= k days to their co-workers who have either contracted the deadly virus or b= een forced to take time out of work because of what is now a global pandemi= c.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face= =3D"georgia, serif">But that is exactly what executives with the grocery ch= ain are asking its employers to do, even though Bezos' could effectivel= y give them unlimited paid sick leave during the current national emergency= without barely a scratch in his bank account.</font></p><p style=3D"box-si= zing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">In a letter s= ent to employees earlier this week, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey explained t= hat one of the options available to workers was for them to "donate&qu= ot; their "paid time off" (pto) days to a pool that other workers= could draw from.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"= #000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Journalist Lauren Kaori Gurley, who broke = the story with=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/93988v/wh= ole-foods-suggests-that-workers-share-paid-time-off-during-coronavirus" sty= le=3D"box-sizing:inherit;background:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" targ= et=3D"_blank">reporting</a>=C2=A0for=C2=A0<em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">= Motherboard</em>, notes that "as a subsidiary of Amazon, the world'= ;s biggest company, Whole Foods could easily afford to pay its hourly emplo= yees for sick days taken during the coronavirus outbreak without breaking t= he bank. Instead, the company has put the onus back on workers, and they= 9;re not happy about it."</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><f= ont color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">In Mackey's letter review= ed by=C2=A0<em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">Motherboard</em>, the executive= stated: "Team Members who have a medical emergency or death in their = immediate family can receive donated PTO hours, not only from Team Members = in their own location, but also from Team Members across the country."= </font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"></p><div style=3D"box-sizing:inh= erit"></div><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D= "georgia, serif">Though such labor practices are not unusual=E2=80=94with w= orkers in various sectors and industries pooling accumulated sick leave for= a colleague experiencing a long-term illness=E2=80=94doing so in the face = of a global pandemic, in which all members of society are equally at height= ened risk, the move was seen by critics as shortsighted, tone deaf, and cru= el. The fabulous wealth of Bezos only increased the ire for many.</font></p= ><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, s= erif">"Whole Foods is owned by Amazon whose CEO and biggest shareholde= r is the world's richest man,"=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://twitter.com= /adamjohnsonNYC/status/1238544711813607424" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;bac= kground:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">tweeted</a>=C2= =A0progressive media critic and journalist Adam Johnson.</font></p><div ali= gn=3D"center" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"></div><p style=3D"box-sizing:inh= erit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">"Runaway capital= ism is when Whole Foods suggests employees trade vacation time to address c= oronavirus rather than offer paid leave, all while the CEO rakes in ~$15 mi= llion a year in stocks, benefits, and more,"=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://t= witter.com/trish_zornio/status/1238555495767498752" style=3D"box-sizing:inh= erit;background:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">said</= a>=C2=A0Trish Zornio, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Colorado th= is year.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" = face=3D"georgia, serif">"You've got the richest man in the world a= sking people who are living paycheck to paycheck to donate to each other,&q= uot; Matthew Hunt, a former Whole Foods employee who led a drive to unioniz= e Whole Foods workers, told=C2=A0<em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">Motherboa= rd</em>. "That's absolute bullshit. With the amount Jeff Bezos mak= es in one day, he could shut stores down and pay employees to stay safe.&qu= ot;</font></p></div></div></div></div></div></div> <p></p> -- <br /> <br /> --- <br /> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &= quot;Sid-l" group.<br /> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e= mail to <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">sid-l+unsubsc= [email protected]</a>.<br /> To view this discussion on the web visit <a href=3D"https://groups.google.c= om/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcy5DebAza8R-sW3%3D1cE5NONj%3Dw1gF50umJkJyZyMUOw7Q%40= mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=3Demail&utm_source=3Dfooter">https://groups.googl= e.com/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcy5DebAza8R-sW3%3D1cE5NONj%3Dw1gF50umJkJyZyMUOw7Q= %40mail.gmail.com</a>.<br /> --000000000000ce3b1f05a0d8fc89-- ------------=_1584228714-7785-122088 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit --- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> List help: <https://riseup.net/lists> ------------=_1584228714-7785-122088--