Grocery workers, heroes of the pandemic, left out on vaccinations, this week in the war on workers

"Grocery workers say they can't get coronavirus vaccines, even as they help distribute them,” the Washington Post headline reads. But as the story makes clear, grocery workers don’t “say” they can’t get vaccines. They can’t. Unless they are elderly or have comorbidities in addition to being grocery workers—i.e., unless they are eligible for vaccination for reasons other than being among the front-line workers who have kept us all going this last nearly a year—grocery workers don’t get vaccination priority except in 13 states. Meanwhile, pharmacies in some grocery stores are administering the vaccinations the workers can’t get.

“Of course health-care workers should get the vaccine first, that’s not a question,” one California worker said. “But how many people am I exposed to in a day? Hundreds. Sick or well? I don’t know. Customers come in with masks under their nose, sipping their coffee as they walk around.”

In 11 states there’s no plan to give grocery workers any priority for vaccination, while in Tennessee they’re at the same priority level as overnight camp counselors.

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This week we're lifting up the deep history of Black organizations that waged powerful campaigns for health justice and built infrastructures for care and wellbeing. #BHM2021 #BHM pic.twitter.com/DoOD5DUrKD

— NELP (@NelpNews) February 17, 2021

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New: After years of mostly unsuccessful efforts, Uber, Lyft and peers are poised to secure deals with major unions, just in time to help defuse threats from the new Biden Administration https://t.co/ZVllN7PTy1

My feature in the next @BW, based on 50 interviews since the election

— Josh Eidelson (@josheidelson) February 17, 2021

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We’ve always had to fight for our lives against racism & inequality.

The fight for access to life-saving healthcare is no different. Generations before us fought for a seat at the healthcare table & ensure medicine helps communities that need it most.

Now, This is Our Shot. pic.twitter.com/ESEcD8EabN

— UNITE HERE (@unitehere) February 19, 2021