Trader Joe’s Faces a Labor Fight During Coronavirus Crisis

A manager told him not to wear the mask in front of customers and sent him to the stockroom, where he found it difficult to stay six feet away from his co-workers. Mr. Boria left in the middle of the shift, fearing for his safety.

At various times, Trader Joe’s has said employees are allowed to wear masks and gloves. But individual stores have adopted different protocols, and some of the chain’s messages have confused employees.

“It is necessary to eliminate all lingering questions or confusion and set the record straight,” a company official wrote in an email to employees last month. “Trader Joe’s official policy on gloves is that we don’t have a policy. We never have.”

Now, however, medical experts are beginning to recommend protective equipment for retail workers. Ms. Friend-Daniel said Trader Joe’s planned to supply masks for its stores, as other chains, like Walmart, have begun to do.

Employees have also complained about delays in closing stores where workers test positive for the virus. At a meeting on March 20, a manager at the Trader Joe’s in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan told employees that a co-worker was infected, according to interviews with employees and social media messages about the meeting. But the store did not officially close for a deep clean until six days later, when Trader Joe’s announced that multiple employees had tested positive.

The spokeswoman, Ms. Friend-Daniel, did not explain that delay. But the measures Trader Joe’s takes in response to infections “vary with the circumstances of the potential exposure,” she said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/business/trader-joes-unionization-coronavirus.html