On Thursday, April 23rd, GTI installed plexiglass guards in our dispensary, and the next day, GTI's CEO Ben Kovler, our Market President, Brendan Blume, our District Manager, Derrick Levy, and our Store Manager, Gregory Zeman, had a Q&A session over the phone with all workers at 3C Naperville regarding safety during COVID-19.
We brought up our concerns of the high risk of spread and infection of COVID-19 for our patients, staff, and communities. We discussed the lack of PPE and our requests to keep our stores as safe as possible and not go back to in-store service at this time. GTI corporate and management stated that they are hearing us, that they want to create the safest working environment for us, that we are indeed the ones who drive the stores and how we operate, that there has not been a downturn in business during curbside-only service, and that they wish to improve where they can.
However, when we asked if we can remain curbside-only since as frontline workers we consider this to be the safest environment possible for our patients and staff during this extremely dangerous time, GTI corporate and management stated that they have to make decisions based on the needs of the business. They then stated that they are making changes so that we feel safest by: providing us with N95 masks when they are available and asking us to wear them for a week before tossing them out, implementing plexiglass guards in front of the registers, fogging the store once a week with a chemical that will kill all virus/bacteria, providing us with Force of Nature spray bottles that kill all virus/bacteria, and implementing tape on the floor of the dispensary so that patients and clients know where to stand. They also stated that they are unsure we can call ourselves frontline workers during this time because our industry is still federally illegal. Finally, they referenced the new rules in our state mandating that people wear masks in public.
This is clearly an example of GTI saying one thing and doing another. It is an insult to our mental and emotional intelligence as it is clear they intend to open to in-store service despite us consistently stating that the safest environment for our patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic is curbside-only service and a steady supply of proper PPE.
Before we had transitioned to curbside-only in April, the environment in our store was not sufficiently safe. During the month of March our anxiety, stress, and fear levels peaked to the point of mental/physical/emotional exhaustion and breakdown. Even with masks we had brought or made from home, with the tape we had already put on the floor, and with the constant sanitation procedures we followed after every patient. The cleaning chemicals made our eyes, skin, and lungs burn. If GTI opens us back to in-store service this will only happen again. It is unrealistic and against current experience/evidence to open our doors again and expect that any sanitation and social distancing procedures will adequately protect us and our patients from infection and spread of COVID-19. Keeping our masks on for a week will also lessen their ability to keep us safe. The fogging of the stores and the chemicals we use to clean will again cause our eyes, skin, and lungs to burn. We are told by GTI corporate and management that the $2 dollars an hour extra in hazard pay we receive is so that we will continue to take these risks. No amount of money is going to suffice to unnecessarily risk our lives, our families, and our communities. Especially when we can remain curbside-only and drastically lower this risk.
Even medical doctors are not consulting with patients in person at this time, only by phone or webcam. When patients come into our stores, they spend time looking over the menu and discussing medicines and products that might be best for their needs. This takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. New patient consults and intakes take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. We love what we do and want to continue our level of patient care but to do this inside at this time will mean that patients and staff will be exposed to a risk that is too high. Even if we sanitized everything after every patient, the air exchange is too fast in an indoor environment to conduct in-store service in a safe way. GTI's hazard assessment in March proved that COVID-19 contaminants can linger in the air and surfaces inside our dispensaries for hours.
We can best serve our patients and clients via curbside-only and an adequate supply of PPE at this time. With webinars and our innovative call center we can also continue our patient care, guidance, consultations, intakes, and education in the safest way possible.
We appreciate everyone's support in signing our petition. We ask that you continue sharing. And we also ask that you contact GTI (info posted below) to request our stores be curbside-only during the COVID-19 pandemic. We do not think they understand the level of danger that they are choosing to put our patients and staff/clients in. The risk of infection is too high with in-store service, even with cleaning procedures, PPE, and guards. This virus spreads too easily. The infection and death of health care workers and patients in nursing homes and hospitals attests to this. COVID-19's effects have been devastating to families and communities. With loved ones often losing multiple family members and friends, and not being allowed to see each other or be at each other's side in their final moments. The current rate of infection and death is too high, and subjecting our staff, patients, and communities to in-store service would require too much of a risk.
We thank you again.
Respectfully,
3C Naperville Workers in Unity for Safety for All
Contact Information for GTI Corporate and Management:
Ben Kovler (CEO) Phone: 312-664-5050 and 415-609-2629 Email:bkovler@gtigrows.com
Brendan Blume (Market President-IL) Phone: 773-706-7517 Email:bblume@gtigrows.com
Derrick Levy (District Manager) Phone: 303-726-6982 Email:dlevy@gtigrows.com
Gregory Zeman (Store Manager-3C Naperville) Phone: 630-460-9311 Email:gzeman@gtigrows.com