Final signature count: 6,032

6,032 signatures toward our 30,000 goal

Although it’s taken a devastating toll – including tens of thousands of American lives, and counting – the global pandemic also been instructive. After years of hearing Wall Street bankers, CEOs, and other billionaires loudly insist that we need them, COVID-19 has shown that the grocery store clerks, bus and delivery drivers, and factory/warehouse staff are the real “essential” workers keeping America’s economy running.

But the pandemic hasn’t stopped some companies from exploiting these workers for financial gain, even as their profit margins soar. Amazon founder/CEO Jeff Bezos, for example, has earned $24 billion since COVID-19 began, but still won’t equip warehouse workers with masks, sanitizer, and sick pay, inviting infections to flourish. InstaCart has also enjoyed record sales, but won’t share those profits with the workers risking their lives to buy groceries without masks, disinfectant wipes, or hazard pay. 1

Others, including U.S. supermarket behemoth Kroger, have demonstrated the glaring hypocrisy of corporate America. The company happily awarded its CEO (who already makes $11.7 million per year) with a $2.6 million profitability bonus as items flew off store shelves, but still balked at extending store workers $2 in hourly hazard pay. 2,3

The greed is especially galling when you consider the multi-million dollar corporations seeking government bailouts to bolster their exploitative business practices. McDonalds, Walmart, and Chipotle (whose CEOs all make 1,000-2,000 times the average employee) are just a few of the firms that sought millions of dollars in taxpayer funding, then lobbied the government to avoid offering workers paid sick leave.4,5 Such a measure would certainly help flatten the curve and save lives, but – even in a global pandemic – it appears worker safety still comes second to the bottom line.6,7

The good news is that U.S. workers, having realized their worth, are finally standing up to demand more from their employers. A series of strikes, walk-outs, and “sick-outs” – including a May 1, 2020, strike uniting workers from Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and FedEx on International Worker’s Day – has helped draw attention to the corporations still fail to protect their workforce with paid sick leave, hazard pay, health care, and basic protective gear. These have become life-or-death matters in the age of COVID-19. 8,9

You can help us keep up the pressure and sign this petition, which calls on U.S. companies to immediately stop exploiting essential workers. It’s time for businesses to stop prioritizing profits over human lives.