Las Vegas grocery stores must limit customers, says union leader

The leader of a Las Vegas grocery workers union is asking the state for a “drastic cut” in the number of customers allowed at stores to further protect workers and shoppers.

Mike Gittings, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 711, said Monday that there is an “urgent need” for Gov. Steve Sisolak to lower the 50 percent capacity limit for stores to 20 percent at any one time.

“Nevada’s grocery workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, working tirelessly to help families get the food and supplies they need,” Gittings said in a statement. “We understand from first-hand experience that a 50 percent cap on store capacity will fail to provide front line workers and their customers with the protections necessary to keep them from contracting this virus.

“The reality is that this capacity level still leads to crowding and close encounters within aisles and checkout areas that increase the likelihood of being exposed.”

A typical 30,000-square-foot store with a 50 percent cap could have 250 customers at the same time, Gittings said in an interview. But if the limit was reduced to 20 percent, that would allow only 100 people at a time.

Gittings, whose union represents thousands of workers at Albertsons, Vons and Smith’s Food and Drug, acknowledged that the 20 percent cap is a “drastic cut.” But he added that “the threat posed by this virus is too dangerous to not do it.”

Sisolak announced the new safety guidelines at a news conference April 8. On the social distancing front, the recommendations include signs reminding shoppers about the 6-foot distance rule, employee direction to customers to maintain their distance at checkout line and designation of one-way store aisles to maximize spacing between customers.

Meghin Delaney, a spokeswoman for the governor’s coronavirus response team, could not be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for Walmart said last week that the company began to impose a 20 percent cap on shoppers, but local Walmart employees and shoppers have told the Review-Journal that some stores in the valley are still packed.

In the past two weeks, employees who tested positive for the virus were reported at Walmart, Costco, Vons and Smith’s.

The new state measures, which do not have enforcement provisions, came after a Review-Journal story revealed that there are no health regulations in place for coronavirus-related inspections at area grocery retailers, as more workers and customers are exposed to COVID-19. The lack of coronavirus oversight in Southern Nevada left some gaps in the way the stores were instituting safety measures.

Grocery retailers have already put in place many of the recommended safety measures as COVID-19 numbers have risen.

Gittings told the Review-Journal last week that his members would like to see more customers comply with the distancing guidelines and wear face coverings, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

Sisolak last week reminded grocery retailers it is against the law for them to take action against employees who raise safety and health concerns.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter. German is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing. Support our journalism.