TRUCKEE, Calif (KTVU) - The widow of a Safeway employee who died of COVID-19 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court against the company claiming that her husband contracted the virus while on the job.
The lawsuit alleges that Pedro Zuniga, a longtime employee at a Safeway distribution center in Tracy, worked in "dangerous and hazardous conditions" during the pandemic and that there were not any adequate protective measures in place.
"Despite the fact that fellow employees were exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID, workers at the center: were not furnished with PPE, were forced to work in extremely close quarters without any distancing, and were deterred by their employer from calling in sick for fear of being assessed negative attendance “points” which could ultimately lead to termination," the suit reads.
The plantiff claims Safeway covered up the outbreak at the distribution center and that safeguards weren't put in place until after the father of five fell ill.
The attorney representing Zuniga's family said that over 51 other employees caught the virus at the center.
The family is seeking the recovery of general damages and punitive damages.
The supermarket chain did not immediately respond to KTVU's request for comment.