Since 2014, nearly 50 people have reportedly been killed in Dollar General stores across the country, and drained workers protested outside the corporate’s headquarters on Wednesday demanding safer working conditions.
Dozens of employees gathered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee ahead of a Dollar General shareholder meeting to talk out against the excessive violence on the country’s fastest-growing retail store while calling for higher wages.
“People are afraid to go to work,” said Kenya Slaughter, a Louisiana employee in accordance with WZTV. “People are pulled out of their guns every other day. There are armed robberies.”
Since 2014, at Dollar General stores nationwide, 49 people have been killed and one other 172 injured. reported CNNciting data from the non-profit organization Gun Violence Archive.
At the least six employees were killed in armed robberies between 2016 and 2020, in accordance with a source.
Stocker David Williams told a shareholder meeting he was considered one of hundreds of store workers fearing for his or her safety, reported CNBC.
“We’re scared because we all know Dollar General’s leadership doesn’t care about worker safety,” Williams told shareholders.
“The corporate has grown so fast and so recklessly that each day I could possibly be coping with a rat infestation, a door that will not close, or someone pointing a gun at me with no safety guards to guard me.”
Williams cited federal violations, noting additional security risks in stores, saying that one worker can often be left alone at “nights in areas where robbery is common.”
The corporate’s shareholders signed a resolution to create an independent audit of worker safety in stores, despite the corporate’s board of directors advising against the measure, CNBC reports.
It’s unclear if the vote is binding or if the corporate will probably be audited.
The corporate was reportedly fined greater than $21 million by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for various questions of safety.
“We try to create a piece environment where employees can develop their careers, serve their communities and feel valued and heard, and we encourage employees to share their views through the various channels provided by the corporate in order that we will listen and work together to handle concerns and challenges, and rejoice successes,” Dollar General said in a press release to news outlets.
Most employees in the corporate earn lower than $15 an hour in accordance with data calculated by the Institute of Economic Policy and Shift Project.
The corporate has about 19,000 stores in the US and about 160,000 employees, CNN reports.