The workers who feed America are exhausted. Now they face Omicron

On Dec 25, 2021

She describes the experience as “the scariest thing you can ever imagine in your life. I don’t want to go through that again.”

But the McDonald’s (MCD) she currently works at in Hollywood, Florida, for $10 an hour is not prioritizing her safety or the 30 or so employees she manages, she said. This McDonald’s, like most of the chain’s outlets, is franchise-owned and operated and sets its own pay and benefit policies. McDonald’s this year said it was raising wages at company-owned stores.

She wants McDonald’s to “force” the issue of safety on its franchisees and customers — to “push the efforts on safety” — and is frustrated that the company isn’t requiring customers to wear masks or doing a better job telling workers when an employee tests positive for Covid-19.

Edie, a member of Fight for $15, which advocates for stronger wages and benefits for workers, is pressing for more than just better Covid-19 safety protections. She wants McDonald’s to raise wages, guarantee paid sick leave, and provide health insurance — the “biggest thing” she wants — for all workers, regardless of franchise status.

She works three different jobs in the fast-food industry, often waking up at 5:30 a.m. and working until 2:00 the next morning. Sometimes, she sleeps in her car in the McDonald’s parking lot and goes back during the day to take quick naps. But she still struggles to pay her bills.

“My body is tired but I still go because I need it,” she said.

The owner of the McDonald’s location Edie worked at before she got sick last year said it has robust hygiene standards, including contact tracing and mask mandates for staff.

“The health and well-being of my restaurant employees, customers and the Broward County community is my top priority,” said Brad Ashlin, the McDonald’s franchise owner, in a statement. “We are continuing to make changes to our restaurant operations to help keep our customers and crew safe in accordance with local regulations and guidance from health experts and the CDC as new variants of Covid emerge.”

McDonald’s did not respond to a request for comment about her allegations on conditions at her current restaurant.

The toll of low-wage work in America

The rapid surge of Omicron in the United States is putting new strain on store and restaurant staff already burned out and fed up after nearly two years of working through a deadly pandemic.

Often praised as heroes during the early days of the health crisis, the people who feed America can’t stay home. Workers such as cashiers, cooks, waitstaff, sales associates, stockers, custodians, store management and others, have faced endless challenges and safety hazards — for low wages and often without strong paid sick leave policies and benefits.

These customer-facing workers have grappled with daily exposure to a deadly virus while on the job. At least 213 retail and grocery workers have died from Covid-19 and more than 50,000 have been infected or exposed, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers’ union.

Pro-union pins sit on a table during a watch party for Starbucks' employees union election, Dec. 9, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y.

These workers have also struggled with the quick end of hazard pay that some companies offered them during the start of the pandemic. They have also dealt with understaffed stores, angry…

The workers who feed America are exhausted. Now they face Omicron

The toll of low-wage work in America

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