Instacart currently has a workforce of more than 200,000 contracted workers who make multiple trips a day to various grocery stores to fulfill and deliver orders that customers make through the app. – Bangladesh garment makers say $3B in orders lost to virus.– Trump uses wartime act but GM says it’s already moving fast.– Asian stocks rise after Wall Street health-care-led rally.The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. ![]() This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. And they're meeting these essential needs that are allowing so many of us to stay home so that - try to contain the virus and flatten the curve. And you know, I think what's happening is so much of the country is under lockdown, people are being told to stay home - these workers need to show up. Last week, a Walmart worker called out the retailer in an op-ed in The New York Times for putting its workers' health and safety in jeopardy. I think these, you know, lower-wage workers are really in the spotlight right now. MARTIN: So Shannon, I mean, is this going to be the beginning of a larger movement, do you think? Are you seeing an increase in workers starting to speak up right now?īOND: Yeah. They want to be paid for the time that it's closed. MARTIN: And they're demanding some the same things we're hearing from those Instacart employees?īOND: They want it to be closed. Some of those facilities have been closed for cleaning. There have been reports of workers testing positive at other Amazon warehouses across the country. Workers say the warehouse should be closed for at least two weeks to be cleaned, and they want to be paid while that happens. And several employees there have tested positive for the virus. And of course, it serves the important and lucrative New York market. It's one of the larger urban warehouses in the country. What about employees striking there?īOND: That's right. What about Amazon? I mean, it's such a behemoth in the industry. But workers say they need more because they're taking these big risks when they go to stores to shop and then they deliver those groceries. Instacart did say on Sunday that it would distribute supplies, including hand sanitizer, to more workers. They say the workers should get paid, you know, if they produce a doctor's note saying they have an underlying condition that puts them at increased risk. Right now Instacart is only making that available if you have a positive coronavirus diagnosis or if you're put on a mandatory quarantine. And they want better access to paid sick leave. They also want protective equipment, like hand sanitizer or disinfectant soap. So they're asking for an extra $5 an hour and a higher default tip setting in the app. They're not giving us hazard pay.īOND: So Polito and other workers say they're not going to deliver any Instacart orders until their demands are met.īOND: Well, she mentioned hazard pay. They're not taking these steps to give us the precautions. But you're not actually - they're not showing it. You can tell us that we're these household heroes and that you appreciate us. And that could be pretty bad for her if, you know, I were to bring anything to her.īOND: Polito says Instacart has sent her messages in the app saying she's a household hero, but she wants more from them. My, you know, grandmother has lupus and many other chronic illnesses. SARAH POLITO: I shop in - for my grandparents. I spoke with an Instacart shopper in upstate New York named Sarah Polito who's taking part in the strike. ![]() They say they don't want to be the ones who are bringing this virus into somebody else's home with a delivery or into their own homes. They worry that that's putting other people in danger. They say they're not getting supplies to protect themselves. ![]() And these workers, they're really at the front lines - right? - and they're scared. So Instacart is an app that lets you order delivery groceries from your local market or national chains. OK, Shannon, these workers have safety concerns. ![]() And just a note that Amazon is an NPR funder. NPR's tech correspondent Shannon Bond is covering this. And today some of them are going on strike because they're worried about their safety. Companies like Amazon and Instacart are so busy they can't even meet demand, which is putting a strain on workers. So many industries are hurting right now - not the online grocery business, though.
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