In the age of social distancing, we commend the dedicated workers that show up to work each day at businesses deemed essential. Today, we highlight three CIS participants who continue to shine, as well as their support staff and employers working to ensure their health and well-being.
Today we recornize Eric B., Kerilyn, and Eric C. We’re so proud of the hard work they continue to put in at their places of employment, and the work of CIS Employment Training Professionals–like Diane and Lerma–to coordinate with employers to make sure our participants have the personal protective equipment they need.
Eric B. is approaching his four-year anniversary at The Home Depot, where he works as a cart attendant. Since the shutdowns started in late March, he’s been working hard as ever, collecting carts, welcoming customers, and making sure cart hand-bars have been sanitized.
Over in the lots at ACME Markets, Eric C. has been doing similarly unsung essential work. He is out there each day in the sun, wind, and rain of April, working to gather carts, greet patrons, and keep the carts safe for customer use. Since the start of the pandemic, he’s taken on extra hours, and has become a familiar and comforting figure as he moves through the lots, his smile still visible beneath his transparent safety visor.
“It’s not just nurses, doctors, and emergency workers who are essential, but also cashiers, shelf-stockers, cart collectors,” said Diane H., Employment Training Professional at CIS. “They’re out here every day making sure we can get the supplies we need most.”
Essential to that effort is Kerilyn, who’s worked as a cashier at Rite Aid since 2019. Since her very first day she’s stood out to customers and managers for her kindness and friendliness, and throughout the crisis Kerilyn’s positive demeanor hasn’t changed. Since March, she’s taken on additional hours, and has also seen an increase in her pay.
That’s thanks to the steps Rite Aid has taken in recognizing the significance of their employees showing up each day: hourly workers like Kerilyn are each receiving a “Hero Pay” increase of $2 per hour. The Home Depot has answered the call as well, offering a range of expanded benefits for Associates, including 14 days of paid time-off for any Associate required to be quarantined, and additional bonuses available to all Associates.
We tip our caps to Eric B., Kerilyn, and Eric C., and we thank them. Their work is essential at any time, and we are elated that in these difficult times, it is being recognized as such.