The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has led to the highest number of total infections and deaths of any other country on Earth, although per capita it is not the highest. The pandemic has caused the unemployment rate to skyrocket from roughly 2 percent of the workforce to nearly 18 percent of the workforce, higher than the Great Recession of 2008, but lower than the peak of the Great Depression in 1933. Many employers for non-essential work have shifted to teleworking to avoid infections in office environments at the suggestion of the Center for Disease Control. By the end of March 2020, all 50 states in the U.S. had confirmed cases and deaths and had initiated stay-at-home orders. Despite these warnings, jobs deemed "essential" for the function of society required employees to report to work amidst the pandemic. This included various healthcare, grocery and home supplies retail chains. Various workers at home supplies and grocery chains had initially complained that customers were not practicing social distancing recommendations, and that companies were not adequately providing the necessary equipment and financial security needed to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus, nor have enough of a safety net to stay home should they become infested with the virus. Unions have said in numerous statements that the inadequate preparations by these companies to make employees safe has led to higher illnesses and deaths from COVID-19. The United Food and Commercial Workers union said 72 of its members have died and more than 5,000 are not at work due to circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
Strikes
Several labor unions provided support to these strikes including the AFL-CIO, Target Workers Unite, UFCW, and the IWW.
Demands
Adam Ryan, a liaison in Virginia for Target Workers Unite stated that the demands for Target workers included sick time off, hazard pay, limited customer access, and a shift towards pick up only for items at stores. Despite the concessions the company has made, Ryan and workers for TWU have stated that these concessions are not enough given that employees were already promised raises, and the paid time off does not pertain to every employee.
Reaction
Politicians
Several high profile politicians including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California express solidarity with the workers.
Amazon
Amazon spokesperson, Av Zammit said that despite these strikes, the company is still functioning and that business has not been impacted by the sickouts across the county. Zammit said on the sickouts "the fact is that today the overwhelming majority of our more than 840,000 employees around the world are at work as usual continuing to support getting people in their communities the items they need during these challenging times." Zammit also said that the company has undertaken intense procedures to keep the workplaces sanitized. Specifically, he stated that Amazon expects to spend more than $800 million in the first half of the year on COVID-19 safety measures, such as company-provided face masks, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Amazon also announced that it intends to spend its entire second quarter profit, approximately $4 billion, on safety equipment for workers.
Target
In reaction to the strikes, and throughout the pandemic, Target has announced that it intends to spend at least $300 million on coronavirus-related expenses. This includeds higher wages, hazard pay, child care, paid sick leave for older and immunocomprised workers.
Major events
Several major gatherings pertaining to the strike occurred in Staten Island, near what many consider is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Additional cities where major strike action occurred included Los Angeles, and Richmond, Virginia.
