Pizzeria workers walk out jobs over covid protocols

Pizzeria workers at Portland Pie Co. walked their jobs off in protest over the Maine restaurant's lax coronavirus safety protocols and for allegedly not telling them about several recent infections among co-workers. Workers who walked off their jobs on Sunday accused the restaurant of ignoring their pleas for improved health measures and severe understaffing.

Ashley McAndrew, a bartender from Portland Pie Co. who quit on Sunday wrote on Instagram that employees were not informed about five co-workers testing positive for the coronavirus over the past month, with "many of us not even knowing we were exposed." “Despite voicing our concerns to corporate over the past few months, and even offering suggestions for change, it is not somewhere I feel safe or appreciated anymore,” he wrote. He continues to write that the company does not take covid seriously and has even gone to the extent of not informing workers about infections. Instead, he says, the company has let workers continue work unmasked, putting them and their families and the community at risk just so they can make money. 

Jeff Perkins, CEO of Portland Pie Co. did not respond immediately but later told Bangor Daily News that the restaurant has 8 locations in Maine and New Hampshire and has recently adopted a mask requirement for all workers in the recent spike in covid cases in Maine. He also said that the company conducts immediate contact tracing when an employee tests positive. 

Source: The Washington Post