FG Deli Group, which employs UFCW 247 members at its facility in Langley, has announced it will provide premium pay of $2.00 per hour, retroactive to March 8, 2020.

This is a temporary program that will be effective from March 8, 2020 to May 2, 2020, and it may be extended if needed.

Members’ pay will be based on $2.00 per hour worked (to include overtime at straight hours so 1 hour of overtime will equal $2.00 premium).

The premium will be paid each pay period and will show as “ApprPrem” on members’ pay statements.

Retroactive amount owing from last pay period will be included with upcoming pay.

Safety measures at FG Deli

Because fever is known to be one of the first symptoms of COVID-19, FG Deli takes the body temperature of everyone entering the building with a non-touch forehead thermometer. (FYI, the union’s legal counsel advises that due to the COVID-19 crisis, there is a strong legal case in favour of screening people for temperature.)

Screening for fever/high temperature was (and is) done extensively in South Korea and other Asian locales, and has been recognized as a particularly good strategy to isolate those who may be unknowingly carrying the virus.

In addition, FG Deli has put new safety measures in place to better protect staff in common areas.

• staggering of breaks by line to ensure social distancing is observed in all common areas;
• one-way passage between processing area to lunchroom to minimize people passing by each other face to face;
• entering the building from the front entrance and exiting from the back door by shipping dock;
• to avoid close contact and gathering when people are getting their hairnets and earplugs, the supply shelf will be relocated from gowning area to lobby. Employees will get their hairnets, beard nets, and earplugs after completing the temperature check;
• monitor the lunchroom seating to ensure each table does not exceed three people;
• stretching on the spot whenever there is a down time instead of a group gathering stretching;
• adding more smock hooks to ensure smocks are not touching each other on the hooks;
• cotton gloves will be placed inside the processing area to ensure people only touch them after washing their hands.