Starbucks Just Announced It’s Ending COVID-19 Sick Pay—Employees Will Not Be Happy About This

Starbucks announced earlier this week that as of October 2nd, the coffee chain’s employees will no longer have COVID-19 sick pay. The company described the pandemic to be shifting into “the endemic phase.” This means, as CBS News reports, workers at the almost 9,000 locations will not receive benefits that provide extra time off if they are to contract the virus.

In 2020, Starbucks started its COVID-19 program, expressing to its employees at the time that they were able to receive up to two weeks of “catastrophe” pay if they were diagnosed with the illness, exposed to it, and/or in need of self-isolation time. If workers contract COVID-19 now, they have to use their other sick and vacation pay if they need to isolate, according to the company.

As per current CDC guidelines, anyone who contracts and is diagnosed with COVID-19 should “stay home and isolate for at least five days.” Starbucks also said that it is ending its vaccine and side-effects pay as of October 2nd as well. These benefits formerly provided up to 2 hours of paid time off for employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

It also meant they had up to 4 hours of paid time off if their vaccinations resulted in any side effects.In their official September 19th statement regarding COVID-19 sick pay, a spokesperson for the chain wrote,”This is one more step as we return to our existing policies and conclude these temporary programs.”

Starbucks’ COVID-19 Sick Pay Is Ending. Here’s What Happens Next https://t.co/BkjdhLYoSA

— Tasting Table (@TastingTable) September 19, 2022

Starbucks says it is ending sick pay for #COVID19 starting October 2, ending paid time off for COVID illness, self-isolation and vaccine side effects.

The average Starbucks barista salary is about $34,000 — less than 2% of what the CEO makes ($20.4 million last year). pic.twitter.com/MfDyz2xMUU

— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 19, 2022

Last week, Starbucks also said it has plans to soon roll out a new “generous sick time accrual model.” According to the pro-union outlet A More Perfect Union, this new sick time policy might not be extended to the approximate 230 Starbucks locations that have unionized. CBS News reported that Starbucks didn’t immediately return their request for comments about this.

In the Monday statement about the termination of COVID-19 pay, the company noted that changes to benefits or wages “may not be unilaterally implemented in stores with organizing underway or will be subject to collective bargaining for stores with certified union representation.”