Kroger joins the call for associates to be deemed emergency personnel

Just as Albertsons teamed with the union, Kroger has also partnered with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union to call on federal and state governments to designate associates at grocery stores as “extended first responders” or “emergency personnel,” so they can receive priority access to masks, gloves and other protective equipment.

The leading grocer and union that represents Kroger associates have been directly reaching out to elected officials over the last five weeks. The two organizations, through Rodney McMullen, CEO and chairman, Kroger, and UFCW International president Marc Perrone shared a public statement on the issue.

The statement said: "This urgent call for temporary first responder or emergency personnel status is not just about protecting grocery store workers; it is also about protecting the customers they serve and our nation's food supply in general. We urge our national and statewide elected leaders to act now and protect these essential workers."

Albertsons ran a full-page ad in The New York Times when pushing governments to make the designation

UFCW represents 1.3 million employees in healthcare, grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.