Coronavirus Safety Lawsuits Lobbed at Both Safeway and McDonalds

Both Safeway and McDonalds are facing Coronavirus Safety lawsuits. After a former Safeway employee contracted Covid-19 and died, the massive grocery store chain ended up facing a California wrongful death lawsuit. McDonalds is also facing a California lawsuit based on numerous alleged safety violations related to employee safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic.   

Safeway Faces California Wrongful Death Lawsuit:

Pedro Zuniga and over 50 other Safeway workers were put to work in alleged hazardous conditions at Safeway's warehouse and contracted coronavirus. The employees were not provided with personal protective equipment, and social distancing practices were not put in place to protect the workers. The company discouraged employees from calling in sick, and placed them in close quarters during their shifts. After contracting coronavirus, Zuniga died. Zuniga's widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Details of the Case: Zuniga v. Safeway 

Zuniga and approximately 1,700 other employees worked at the Tracy, California Safeway Distribution Center. In mid-March the massive warehouse was hit hard by a Covid-19 outbreak, but workers claim the company did nothing about it. Workers claim Safeway posted a sign at the warehouse listing employee guidelines regarding coronavirus. The signage allegedly did not recommend personal protective gear for workers (such as masks or gloves), even though both federal and state authorities advised PPE in such situations. Workers were required to work even when they were ill with coronavirus. Workers who spoke out against the company's handling of the situation were threatened with disciplinary action (the loss of "points" that could lead to termination).  

Worker Safety Violations Allegedly Resulted in Death:

Zuniga tested positive for coronavirus by April 1st, 2020 and was admitted to the hospital. Less than two weeks later, he died. The Zuniga family's legal counsel accuses Safeway of prioritizing production and company profits above worker safety. The California wrongful death lawsuit argues that the grocery store hid the outbreak in their warehouse, and failed to put appropriate safeguards in place to protect employees from coronavirus dangers until after Zuniga was in the hospital critically ill with the virus. Other deaths allegedly occurred amongst the family and friends of exposed Safeway workers who brought the coronavirus home with them.

Workers Claim Coronavirus Precautions Put in Place Too Late:

Workers claim that Safeway only put safety measures in place to protect workers from coronavirus exposure after Zuniga died. At that point, Safeway decided all employees would be required to undergo a health screening including a temperature reading prior to entering the facility. Another separate lawsuit was filed against Safeway for similar allegations in Alameda County Superior Court.

McDonalds Faces Class Action Lawsuit Citing Unsafe Conditions During Covid 19 Pandemic:

McDonalds employees filed a similar class action lawsuit but aren't seeking financial compensation. Workers are accusing McDonalds of not providing appropriate (and necessary) protective equipment to protect workers from coronavirus exposure. Instead of seeking financial compensation, McDonalds workers are insisting that McDonalds provide their workers with enough hand sanitizer, gloves, and masks, as well as training to help decrease the spread of coronavirus.                                                          

If you need to talk to someone about safety in the workplace amid the Covid-19 pandemic, or if you need to file a Covid-19 workplace safety lawsuit, get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in any one of various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.