Save on Foods caps store capacity due to Omicron, union wants same from other chains

Now that Save on Foods has limited capacity in its B.C. stores due to COVID-19 concerns, the union representing grocery workers is calling on other companies to follow suit to protect both workers and shoppers from the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The chain is limiting the number of shoppers allowed in all 110 locations in British Columbia.

“As part of our ongoing and increased efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our stores and our communities, we will operate our BC stores at a maximum 50% occupancy until further notice,” says a spokesperson in a statement, adding they will also be increasing signage to remind people to physically distance.

Kim Novak, president of UFCW 1518, says this wave of the pandemic has been incredibly stressful for grocery store and other retail workers. Reducing capacity is one of the health and safety demands the union made of employers in a letter dated Jan. 6.

“Unfortunately, right now, because the public health office has not issued an order on capacity limits, this is ultimately up to the individual employers,” she explains, adding her members were happy to see Save on Foods make this move.

“We want to see that happening at all grocery stores, because what we’re hearing from our members, is that grocery stores continue to be incredibly busy. When people are coming in and not keeping that distance, it’s a real health and safety concern for our members, and for the customers who are shopping as well. We hope to see it spread because regardless of what grocery store you’re working in — you’re facing the same risks with Omicron.”

Novak says in earlier phases of the pandemic, a change initiated by one major retailer spurred others to do the same, as was the case with the installation of plexiglass barriers and floor markers to promote physical distancing.

But crowding isn’t the only issue Novak says members are facing.

“The biggest concern we’re hearing is people coming into stores without masks on,” she says.

“Our members have been working for nearly two years on the frontlines of the pandemic, it’s constantly changing, constantly getting more contagious and more concerning to them. If someone comes into their store without a mask on, it’s jarring. They’re concerned for their own safety, but they’re also concerned for the safety of their loved ones.”

???? One grocery chain in B.C. is reducing their stores capacity to 50% in an effort to increase social distancing and help limit the spread of COVID-19. https://t.co/G8qxQt10cd @saveonfoods pic.twitter.com/cYbcJSsnBj

— CityNews Vancouver (@CityNewsVAN) January 20, 2022

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In addition to coping with the day-to-day stress of unmasked customers, workplaces are facing staff shortages due to sickness and product shortages due to supply chain issues.

“From the workers’ perspective, it’s really bad. They are showing up every single day and it’s becoming harder and harder. There’s a lot of exhaustion in the sector,” Novak tells CityNews.

“It’s really all coming to a head and I think the thing we’ve heard the most from our members is that they’re tired, they want to be respected and they want to be safe.”

Another demand the union has made of employers is to pay workers a bonus for working while B.C. and the rest of the country has seen the number of cases and hospitalizations shatter records. In the first week of 2022, Novak says the union saw a nearly tenfold increase in reported workplace COVID-19 exposures.

“The pressure is higher than it’s ever been. These companies are still busier than they’ve ever been. And we want to see the workers getting compensated for that.”

Three grocery chains — Loblaws, Metro, and Sobeys — ushered in a $2-an-hour pay bump in 2020 when non-essential businesses were shuttered. This “hero pay” was cancelled after the first wave subsided. Unions across Canada have been calling for this to be reinstated during the Omicron surge.

On Tuesday, Gary Sands, senior vice-president of public policy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, said employee absenteeism due to COVID-19 protocols has hit about 30 per cent across Canada, — and rising.

If the situation worsens, he warns some grocery stores won’t be able to open — threatening food security in rural and remote areas of the country that rely on a sole independent grocer.

Without access to rapid testing in many provinces, he says workers are repeatedly forced to isolate for a week or more after an exposure to COVID-19.

Novak says rapid tests could provide added protection, but she worries they could be used to pressure workers to return sooner.

“I think the most important thing is people are taking the time that they need to get healthy. Because what we have seen is when people are rushing back to work too soon, it leads to more people in the workplace getting sick and more of a negative impact on business. And that’s happened throughout this pandemic.”

The union has also launched a survey to try to gather more information about workers’ safety concerns at this point in the pandemic.

With files from Tarnjit Parmar and The Canadian Press