A group of Ralphs employees who work at a distribution center in Compton say they’re taking legal action against the company due its failure to protect workers from the novel coronavirus.
The facility, located on South Wilmington Avenue, services the Ralphs and Food-4-Less chains owned by parent company Kroger.
Alicia Ramirez, an inventory clerk there, says the building is a coronavirus hotbed with more than 100 out of about 500 employees testing positive for the virus. She says she tested positive in May and was out of work for two weeks, but returned to the job and now lives in fear.
“I’m a single mom… I do have a fear of going to work and catching it again. My biggest fear is because my daughter has asthma,” she said. “And what if I get sick again and infect her? Thank God my kids didn’t get sick when I had it the first time.”
Attorney Joshua Boxer says his law firm sent the company a letter Wednesday with a list of health and safety improvements that need to be implemented.
“The contagion is running like wildfire through that facility,” he said. “There’s still a lot they need to be doing in order to protect their workers and the community.”
Boxer says they intend to file a lawsuit if the company does not make the necessary changes.
Chris Wolfe reports for the KTLA 5 News at 10 on July 2, 2020.
