Boulder grocery store workers were already facing many dangers before the shooting

Before a gunman went on a shooting rampage at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people—including an Instacart worker, an 11-year veteran of the police force, and an employee who worked at the store for more than three decades—grocery store workers had already been facing a variety of dangers as frontline essential personnel. In addition to the high risk of contracting Covid-19, workers “experienced the worst of the worst,” said Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, a union representing more than 22,000 grocery and other workers in Colorado and Wyoming. Cordova told The New York Times that grocery workers were often confronted by hostile shoppers who slapped and spat on them, or refused to wear masks. As customers grew more aggressive, Cordova said her union pushed for more security in stores. “Unfortunately, these workers are going to be traumatized over this situation, but they really acted as heroes as they’ve been throughout this whole pandemic,” Cordova told a local television station.