'I'm Helping My Community': Grocery Store Workers Showing Incredible Dedication During Coronavirus Crisis
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There's no question supermarkets are essential during the COVID-19 crisis. And for the employees of those grocery stores, the work is nonstop from the moment it opens to when it closes.
Like all supermarkets, workers aren't going home with six-figure salaries, but they are just as dedicated.
"Every time the truck comes, we build them up and we put it on the shelves," said Eddy Castellanos said, who works at Sedano's Supermarket
For two years, Castellanos has been doing his best to keep shelves stocked. Seeing shopping carts full shows how important he is to so many families.
"It makes me feel really happy, really happy because I'm helping my community," Castellanos said.
It's a community with people constantly in need of food, medicine, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
"This is the first time I've seen it with a lot of people," the worker said.
Everyone is trying to stay safe and healthy while working and shopping.
As required in Miami-Dade County, he and his co-workers have masks. The supermarket also gave them gloves, while some have face shields. There are also barriers between the cashier and customer.
Shoppers are required to have face coverings, with signs at the store to help make sure people remain six feet apart.
Sedano's also has a dedicated crew for cleaning each store.
"Our team is here for us. They know that this is something they have to be ready to support our community. They're doing more than what we ask for. They're doing great," Pedro Mesa said.
Mesa has been with the Miami-based supermarket for decades. He knows shoppers are worried.
"Everybody's nervous state this time, so they go the extra mile to give that support to the customer when they come to the store. They want to come in, they want to get what they need, and leave as fast as possible," the manager said.
The supermarkets have also beefed up staff by hiring more people, including those who are temporarily out of work at restaurants. They were one of the leaders starting senior shopping hours every day.
For Castellanos, his goal is try to make shoppers feel normal in an usual time.
"It makes me feel good knowing they're getting their food and that everything is going good and normal," he said.
Florida-based Publix also has the gloss barriers and extra cleaning measures.
A spokesperson said employees are also given two weeks of paid leave for a worker who has coronavirus and the same for workers who are exposed.
Nationwide, more than 1,500 grocery store workers have coronavirus and at least 30 have died, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
On Monday, the union called on the CDC to make safety measures like those already at Sedano's mandatory nationwide and call workers "extended first responders."
May 2018 Labor Department numbers show cashiers made a little more than $11 an hour or $23,000 a year.
This is an industry with close to 5 million employees that racks up $702 billion in sales, according to 2018 numbers posted on a fact sheet from The Food Industry Association.
Currently, they're some of the lowest paid frontline workers during the pandemic, but their worth ethic is just like all others who are risking their health for others.
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