February 22, 2021

Dear Union Members,

In the last week, many more of our members have become eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine. Individuals sixty-five years of age and older, and individuals with two or more co-morbidities are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Based on information we have received, the fastest way to get an appointment is to schedule it through one of the mass vaccination sites in your state. These sites are more likely to have supplies of the vaccine, although scheduling an appointment may be a bit frustrating, because of heavy volume. Hopefully the rest of our members will become eligible in the next phase of the program, which should include essential workers.

If you have been following the news, you may have seen reports that some Retailers, such as Kroger, have opted to close stores, rather than pay Hazard Pay in areas where City Councils have required Hazard Pay for Retail Workers.  Several reports show that if you are a retail food worker, you are five times more likely to contact Covid19.  In the meantime, Local 791 continues to fight for Appreciation/Hazard Duty Pay through the Grievance and Arbitration procedures.  We have a second day of hearing scheduled for this case and hope to get a decision from the Arbitrator shortly thereafter.

This has been a tough year for all of our members and sometimes seems like a bad dream that won't end.  We all have family and friends that have fallen ill with Covid-19, but hopefully with the vaccine becoming available to more of our members in the upcoming weeks, we will see this Pandemic start to release its hold on our lives.

Stay safe, Stay united,

Russell Regan, President

UFCW Local 791