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Kroger offers workers $100 payment to get COVID-19 vaccination

Additional $50 million investment includes store credit, fuel rewards for frontline associates

Russell Redman

February 5, 2021

5 Min Read
Kroger pharmacist-COVID vaccination.jpg
Kroger said the one-time $100 payment will be offered to associates who get the full coronavirus vaccination. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two inoculations.The Kroger Co.

The Kroger Co. plans to issue one-time payment of $100 to all associates who receive full doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Kroger said late Friday that it’s also providing a $100 store credit and 1,000 fuel points to hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center workers across its 35-state market area under an additional $50 million investment. The two rewards are slated to be loaded onto associates’ loyalty cards on Feb. 11. 

The one-time $100 vaccine payment will be offered to associates who get the full manufacturer-recommended coronavirus vaccination — the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two inoculations — and present proof of vaccination to their human resources representative, according to Kroger. Associates unable to receive the vaccine because of medical or religious reasons will be able to complete an educational health and safety course to get the payment. 

Kroger cashier-customer-COVID-face masks.jpg

Kroger noted that it has engaged in a range of efforts to protect, compensate and support workers during the coronavirus crisis.

“Since March, we have invested more than $1.5 billion to both reward our associates and to safeguard our associates and customers through the implementation of dozens of safety measures that we continue to execute today. We’ve also welcomed more than 100,000 new associates to The Kroger Family of Companies,” Tim Massa, chief people officer at Kroger. “As we move into a new phase of the pandemic, we’re increasing our investment to not only recognize our associates’ contributions, but also encourage them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available to them to optimize their well-being as well as the community’s.”

Related:Kroger gears up to administer COVID-19 vaccines

Kroger’s COVID vaccine payment and rewards drew criticism on Friday from the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW) union. UFCW called the offer a “slap in the face” to the supermarket giant’s frontline workers, explaining that the company ended $2-per-hour hazard pay nearly nine months ago and, earlier this week, announced plans to close two Long Beach, Calif., stores because of a city ordinance mandating hazard pay for grocery workers.

“Kroger workers deserve free vaccinations for the risks they have faced and continue to face as COVID cases increase. This one-time payment from Kroger is appreciated, but given the way the company has treated its workers during the pandemic, it does not recognize the contribution of these essential workers to our nation or the risks they face daily,” UFCW International President Marc Perrone said in a statement.

“Kroger has made billions in pandemic profits this past year, but the company ruthlessly cut hazard pay for its essential grocery workers last spring,” he added. “This week, cities like Seattle and Los Angeles stepped up to restore hazard pay and require all grocery companies, including Kroger, to share their windfall profits from the pandemic with its frontline employees. We applaud these cities for recognizing the risks these workers have faced to help keep food on our tables.”

Related:Kroger rolls out rapid antibody COVID-19 testing to all pharmacies

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In terms of COVID protection measures, Kroger said it has required and supplied face masks for associates

Kroger noted that it has engaged in a range of efforts to protect, compensate and support workers during the coronavirus crisis, including additional pay and special bonuses plus rewards, available to view at KrogerCovidResponse.com; COVID-19 testing based on symptoms and medical need; advocacy for frontline associates to have priority access to the vaccine; emergency leave and paid time off for associates most affected by the virus or experiencing symptoms; and health care and retirement benefits, among other measures.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said it has been investing to raise the wages of frontline associates for the past several years, including an incremental $800 million in increases from 2018 to 2020 under the company’s Restock Kroger strategy — $300 million more than the originally planned. The company reported that the investment lifted the average wage rate to more than $15 per hour and, including its comprehensive HR and retirement benefits, the average hourly rate exceeds $20. Kroger added that, in November, it also invested nearly $1 billion to stabilize associates’ pensions.

On the safety side, Kroger said it has required and supplied face masks for associates and urged them to stay home if ill; mandated that customers to wear masks in stores; and continued to limit customer count in stores and use plexiglass barriers and floor decals to promote social distancing.

“We know that the most effective defense against this pandemic comes in the form of the COVID-19 vaccine and the continuation of the rigorous safety precautions we’ve established across our stores, manufacturing facilities and supply chain,” stated Kroger Chief Medical Officer Marc Watkins. “We are strongly encouraging all customers and associates to receive the vaccine to curb the spread of COVID-19, and we’ll do all we can to ensure they have access as soon as it’s available.”

UFCW’s Perrone noted, however, that Kroger store associates and other retailers’ grocery workers still face a significant threat from COVID-19 while on the job. The union cited a report last month on more than 300 Kroger worker coronavirus cases in Houston.

According to UFCW, at least 134 grocery workers have died from COVID-19 and 28,700 have been infected or exposed to the virus among its membership nationwide.

“If Kroger really cares about its employees,” Perrone commented, “the company must share the profits the pandemic has generated with all of its frontline grocery workers across the country and ensure that they not only have free vaccine access, but that every Kroger store takes immediate action to prevent future COVID outbreaks as the pandemic continues.”

Kroger, meanwhile, has been working with public health officials and community partners to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine around the country. The company said that, as of Feb. 5, its Kroger Health arm has administered over 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to essential health care workers, skilled-nursing facility employees and residents, and some elderly populations. Kroger Health also is hiring to fill a need for 1,000 more health care personnel, including pharmacy technicians, to support coronavirus vaccine operations and administration. 

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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