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a& APMP% 'd29RJe7JJ color. <br />At least 130 U.S. grocery workers have died, and more than 8,2oo have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since <br />late March, according to data from workers' groups and media reports. Grocery stores are generally not required to <br />inform shoppers about coronavirus cases or report them to local health departments, which can make it difficult to get <br />an accurate count. <br />Manners, who has been at Meijer since 2010, says she has never felt so demoralized. At least a dozen colleagues in her <br />department have quit in the past month alone, she says, while those who have stayed are struggling with the workload <br />and the crush of impatient shoppers. <br />"Some customers were appreciative in the beginning, but now they're just rude," she said. <br />A handful of co-workers have tested positive for covid-19, Manners said, but anyone who decides to self -quarantine is <br />typically directed to take unpaid leave. And workers who try to call in sick often are being coaxed to come in, she said. <br />"Managers are making decisions on their own, saying, `You have a cough but you'll be okay," " said Manners, who is a <br />union steward at her store. "You don't want to say `no' because you'll lose your job." <br />Frank Guglielmi, a spokesman for Meijer, said employees undergo temperature checks and other health screenings <br />before each shift. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus or is considered high-risk can apply for as much as <br />four weeks of paid leave, he said. <br />"For the record, we are seeing reduced turnover among our store team members," he said. The turnover rate for U.S. <br />retail workers has generally risen during the pandemic, Commerce Department data shows. <br />Adding to the stress, many workers say, are new responsibilities, including disinfecting store fixtures and enforcing <br />social distancing and mask requirements. <br />Almost every major retailer, including Walmart, Home Depot and Target, is now asking shoppers to wear masks, <br />although employees say enforcement is spotty and often fraught. Grocery workers have been demeaned, screamed at <br />and even assaulted for reminding shoppers of the new protocols, with some of the most egregious incidents captured <br />on video and shared online. Illinois this week made it a felony to assault workers who are enforcing mask <br />requirements. <br />"The pressure is wearing away at us in great chunks," said a mid-level manager at a Kroger store in Kentucky, who <br />spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared losing his job. "We're getting it from both ends: customers and <br />corporate." <br />Company representatives, he said, are exerting more pressure to ensure shelves and displays are full, even though <br />stores are at the mercy of broader slowdowns in the supply chain. "It's little things like, why isn't the yogurt display <br />perfect?" the manager said. "They tear management to shreds and leave everybody on eggshells." <br />Kristal Howard, a spokeswoman for Kroger, said the company has provided paid emergency leave and financial <br />support for child care during the pandemic. It also gave employees an extra $2 an hour — which it called a "hero <br />bonus" — for two months ending in late May and gave them a one-time bonus that topped out at $400. 388 <br />