5@5: Workers push for grocery store hazard pay | COVID-19 gag rules put everyone at risk

At the grocery store, a push to re-up hazard pay

Workers at New Seasons Market are pushing back after the grocery chain cut the bonus pay they had instituted at the beginning of the pandemic. Employees also say many of the store's shoppers don't respect the social distancing regulations, a common complaint among America's grocery store workers who are becoming increasingly burnt out. A spokeswoman for New Seasons responded that the extra pay could not be extended indefinitely due to financial constraints. Read more at Portland Monthly…

COVID-19 gag rules at US businesses are putting everyone at risk

Businesses are putting communities at risk by banning workers from alerting the public, or even other employees, about their COVID-19 confirmation status. While those enforcing the gag rules cite employee privacy as sufficient justification, federal law protects the right to communicate about or protest unsafe job conditions. Read more at Bloomberg...

'Cooking fatigue' affecting most Americans during pandemic, study claims

A new survey of American consumers showed that 55% of participants are fed up with cooking meals at home. Additionally, 69% wished they could make a healthy dinner more quickly, and nearly half responded that they would prefer to cook meals that involve less prep work. Read more at Fox News…

EPA and USDA announce competition to advance agricultural sustainability in the US

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed this week a new competition consisting of two challenges that will hopefully garner innovative proposals for new and existing fertilizer technologies that will both improve crop yields and decrease the harmful impact that fertilizer has on the environment. The Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges touch on an especially important topic for climate activists today, the widespread degradation of soil quality stemming from conventional agriculture. Read more at EPA.gov…

As smoke fills air, California farmworkers labor to put food on the table

Many California farmworkers lack PPE and are now being exposed to a smoke-filled environment daily, in addition to the constant threat of COVID-19 and a heatwave. But the pressure to keep the food supply chain up and running is preventing activists from making much headway with regard to improving these (life-threatening) working conditions. Read more at San Francisco Chronicle…