Coronavirus Support: Hundreds Of New England Convenience Store Employees Getting Raises, Bonuses
DUXBURY (CBS) -- Many convenience store employees across New England, considered "essential" by the government, are getting a boost while they continue to serve customers during the coronavirus crisis. Several companies have announced that their worker are getting raises, bonuses and gift cards.
Duxbury-based VERC Enterprises, which runs 33 convenience stores and gas stations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is giving all store employees a raise of $2 per hour, plus $100 more a week for salaried store managers. Full-time workers are also getting $500 bonus checks, while part-time employees get $200.
"Our employees are our most valued asset," CEO Leo Vercollone said in a statement. "This is a time when we want to show them how much we appreciate everything they do."
Workers at the 137 convenience stores, gas stations and car washes operated by Nouria Energy are all getting a raise of $1 per hour. And Global Partners' 300 gas stations and convenience stores are giving employees $50 in food gift certificates monthly.
"During this challenging time, as our communities experience near total shutdowns, local convenience stores are a key resource for fuel, food, beverages, and other essential products for their neighbors and emergency workers," said Jonathan Shaer, director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, in a statement. "The majority of the 3,300 convenience stores across the Commonwealth operate family-owned stores and in many neighborhoods, these small corner stores are a crucial food source, especially as we social distance and seek to avoid crowds. It's important to support the clerks and employees during this difficult time."
