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A line forms outside of Walmart in Quincy, Massachusetts on April 4, 2020, as the store implements new capacity restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. People are waiting outside with masks and left behind.
Boston Globe | Boston Globe | Getty Images
Walmart on Thursday said it would pay another pandemic-related bonus to hourly workers and extend its Covid-19 emergency leave policy until July, as the United States hits records for deaths and hospitalizations due to coronaviruses.
This is the fourth time since the spring that the discounter has paid special bonuses to workers who have helped stock shelves, ship orders online, transport merchandise and serve customers during the pandemic. Full-time employees will receive $ 300 and part-time and temporary employees will receive $ 150 on December 24.
With the latest bonus, Walmart will have paid a total of $ 2.8 billion in quarterly and special bonuses to its hourly employees. It has quarterly bonuses for employees who predate the pandemic. The company has approximately 1.5 million Walmart and Sam’s Club employees who are eligible for the special compensation.
“As we come to the end of this historic year, I am filled with gratitude for how our associates have gone through one of the most trying times for our company and our country,” said John Furner, President and CEO. from the management of Walmart US
The coronavirus pandemic has intensified across the country. More than 100,000 people are currently hospitalized in the United States and are living with Covid-19, a record high. Public health officials have warned that hospitalizations and deaths could increase further after Thanksgiving, with some people congregating indoors during the winter.
On Wednesday, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that the coming months of the pandemic will be among “the most difficult in the history of public health in this country.”
For grocery store workers, outbreaks in small towns across the United States mean they are at a higher risk to their health and that of their families when they commute to work each day. A major grocery union, the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union, and its members recently called on all grocery store workers to receive a “risk premium” – higher hourly pay that would make them feel better. compensates for this additional risk.
More than 48,000 members fell ill or were exposed to Covid-19 and at least 350 members died from Covid-19 at the end of November, according to the International Union of United Food and Commercial Workers, which also represents workers in meat packing plants and nursing. houses.
This does not include workers at unorganized retail giants Amazon and Walmart who fell ill or died from Covid-19.
Walmart has hired more than half a million employees in its stores, clubs and supply chain since March. The company said more than 20% of those employees have moved into permanent positions. The hiring frenzy has helped Walmart keep pace with increased sales of merchandise, from paper towels to bicycles, especially on its website.
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