At the start of the coronavirus pandemic many companies began to provide extra hazard pay for essential workers employed at America's grocery stores and meat packing plants, but a majority of those businesses stopped doing that last month.

"They didn't sign up for a job that meant putting their lives at risk everyday and they should get strong hazard pay," said Senator Elizabeth Warren Friday in a zoom press conference with Senator Sherrod Brown talking about America's grocery stores workers.

"All kinds of people go out and expose themselves in their workplace to coronavirus and then they come home full of anxiety about the potential of exposing their families. These workers weren't paid nearly enough to begin with. We call them essential we should pay them like they are essential," said Brown.

They sent a letter to the 15 largest grocery store chains asking them to reinstate hazard pay to their workers since COVID numbers are on the rise. They say the danger hasn't gone away so neither should their pay.

Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, says profits for these stores have gone up by 20% since COVID. He wants stores to increase pay and implement CDC safety guidelines, like making masks a requirement.

"Working parents on the front lines are increasingly concerned on how they are going to pay for their child care. Hazard pay was critical for these workers and parents. Now they must do more with less even as the dangers increase," said Perrone.

Locally, Giant Eagle is still offering some bonus pay based on sales and hours worked. WalMart paid bonuses last month.