- Four in 10 hourly workers don't have access to paid sick leave, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a disturbing fact given the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
- The Shift Project — a project by the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco — surveyed service workers from employers like McDonald's and Target between 2018 and 2019.
- A sometimes significant percent of those workers reported not having access to paid sick leave, according to project's researchers.
- Now some companies are adjusting their policies, for example, allowing their workers to quarantine for 14 days if they contracts the virus, in addition to others.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the US, many Americans who don't have access to paid sick leave or who have access but feel pressured not to take it, are left with an impossible choice: go to work and potentially contract the virus, or stay home and risk losing their job.
Four in 10 hourly workers don't have access to paid sick leave, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some of the workers most at risk for contracting the virus include service-sector workers, such as those in the food, retail, and hospitality industries, according to Labor Department data that tracks jobs that involve close proximity to others.
A closer look at some of the nation's top retailers and food giants revealed a variety of responses, but paints an overall grim picture. Some 99% of workers surveyed at the restaurant Waffle House, for example, reported not having access to paid sick leave, according to The Shift Project.
The Shift Project is an effort by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco, to collect more data on workers in the service industry. Since 2016, its leaders have collected surveys twice a year from thousands of service-industry employees, including workers at McDonald's, Dunkin', Kohl's, and Walmart.
Researchers looked at the largest service-sector employers by number of employees, using information from ReferenceUSA, a data and research company. They then asked about 388 workers from each company if they believe they receive paid sick leave from their employer. Data was collected by The Shift Project between February, 2018 and November 2019. It is possible that permanent company policies may have changed since then.
While several large retailers, including McDonald's and Restaurant Brands International, which is the parent company of Burger King, have adjusted their policies in light of the pandemic, many of the changes are either temporary, apply to corporate-owned stores (and not franchises), or apply only if someone has been diagnosed with COVID-19, not if they are simply feeling unwell. Updates to company policy related to the novel coronavirus have been included below. All companies were contacted for request for comment. Most did not reply.
These are the largest service-sector employers where many respondents said they don't believe they have access to paid sick leave, based on data from 2018 and 2019.
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About 78% of McDonald's workers surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 518,000 workers in the US.
McDonald's has offered five days of paid time off to hourly workers in company-owned stores since 2015, according to CNBC. The company recently announced that employees at company-owned US locations will receive pay if asked to quarantine for 14 days.
About 27% of Walmart workers surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 347,000 workers in the US.
Walmart has made several changes to its policy. On March 9, the company announced that it would waive its attendance policy through the end of April as part of a new emergency leave policy. Employees can now take unpaid leave if they feel unable to work or uncomfortable coming to work, Business Insider's Irene Jiang reports.
"Walmart employees who contract the virus will receive 'up to two weeks of pay,' the company said in the memo. After two weeks, hourly associates who aren't able to return to work are eligible for up to 26 weeks in pay," Jiang writes.
About 70% of Kroger employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 189,000 workers in the US.
Kroger recently announced that it will provide a one-time bonus to every hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, and customer service associate, amounting to $300 for every full-time associate and $150 for every part-time associate. The company also expanded its COVID-19 emergency leave guidelines to include paid time off for self-isolation and symptoms as verified by an accredited healthcare professional, according to a statement sent to Business Insider.
"We believe that by expanding our emergency leave guidelines, more of our associates can feel certain knowing that if their health is affected by or if they experience symptoms of COVID-19, they will be supported while they stay at home and recover," Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer, said in part in a statement shared with Business Insider.
About 86% of Subway employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 180,000 workers in the US. Subway did not respond to request for comment.
About 86% of Burger King employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 165,000 workers in the US.
The CEO of Restaurant Brands International previously confirmed to Business Insider that employees at corporate-owned restaurants affected by the coronavirus would receive up to 14 days of paid sick leave.
About 88% of Pizza Hut employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 156,000 workers in the US. Pizza Hut's parent company, Yum Brands, is will be "paying any employee required to self-quarantine for their regularly scheduled hours — but only if they are employees of a corporate-owned restaurant, not a franchise," according to Eater's Jaya Saxena.
About 84% of Wendy's employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 133,000 workers in the US. Wendy's did not reply to request for comment.
About 50% of Target employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 151,000 workers in the US.
Target announced Friday it is raising its pay by $2 an hour until at least May 2. In addition, the retailer is offering new option for all team members who are 65 or older, pregnant, or those with underlying medical conditions to access paid leave.
About 43% of Marriott employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 139,000 workers in the US. Marriott did not respond to request for comment,
On March 17, Marriott International, said it has started to furlough what could amount to tens of thousands of employees, Business Insider previously reported.
About 77% of Taco Bell employees surveyed reported not having access to paid sick leave.
The company employs approximately 125,000 workers in the US.
Taco Bell announced that it will continue paying employees of its company-owned restaurants who are who are required to stay at home or who work at a location that has been closed due to the pandemic, The Los Angeles Times reported. However, most of Taco Bell's locations are franchisee-owned.
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