COMPTON, Calif. – A group of Ralphs employees say the company isn’t doing enough to protect workers from coronavirus and they are taking legal action. Henry Ephriam, who works at a Ralphs distribution center in Compton, is part of the class action lawsuit and says the lack of safety measures led to over 100 employees testing positive for the virus.

He was personally affected by the virus on May 11. “I came home from work, took my usual nap and woke up and had a fever of 104,” he said.

What You Need To Know

  • A group of Ralphs employees say the company isn’t doing enough to protect workers from coronavirus and are taking legal action

  • Henry Ephriam, who works at a Ralphs distribution center in Compton, is part of the class action lawsuit and says the lack of safety measures led to over 100 employees testing positive for the virus

  • Ephriam believes he got the virus from the Ralphs distribution center in Compton where he’s worked for 13 years

  • Part of the complaint alleges employees have to work next to each other “without adequate and consistent use of protection such as masks, gloves, facial shields, and hand sanitizer”

Ephriam says he took a coronavirus test later that day and received a positive result two days later. “It was a whole lot of emotions – it was scared, angry, worried,” he said.

He spent four days in the hospital and later infected his fiancé. Ephriam believes he got the virus from the Ralphs distribution center in Compton where he’s worked for 13 years. According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, 105 people tested positive at the facility.

“The temperature checks were off and on. Sometimes somebody would be there, sometimes somebody wouldn’t be there,” described Ephriam. “Gloves…you have to ask for them.”

Ephriam also says employees shared scanner guns that weren’t sanitized and hand sanitizer wasn’t readily available. “You had to ask for it and it was like, oh well, don’t use too much of it,” he said.

Joshua Boxer, an attorney with Matern Law Group, represents the employees in the class action lawsuit filed on July 8. Part of the complaint alleges employees have to work next to each other “without adequate and consistent use of protection such as masks, gloves, facial shields, and hand sanitizer.”

Boxer says there was also a lack of transparency from managers about infections at the facility. “We had clients who had no idea they were exposed to the virus,” said Boxer. “They were only hearing it second-hand and third-hand and, at that point, it’s too late.”

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Ralphs and a representative said the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Boxer says Ralphs responded to his law firm about the lawsuit and said it made health and safety improvements at the facility, but employees have told him otherwise.

“They may have a sanitizer bottle, but it’s almost always empty, or there may be some wipes by the folks who work in the office, but it’s not available for us down in the warehouse,” he said.

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Boxer filed a court order Tuesday requiring Ralphs to implement certain safety practices and he says it will be enforceable by a judge.

Ephriam went back to work after recovering, but still experiences lingering symptoms including shortness of breath. He says he’s seen improvements like an automated temperature scanner for employees and more hand sanitizer, but would like to see more safety changes at the facility.

“Making sure everybody’s temperature gets checked, for one. Two – handling of the gloves and the masks, there could be more…more sanitizing stations,” he said.

He lives in fear of getting sick again and infecting his family. “Every day that I have to work through this, they are at risk, just like me,” he said.

But as an essential worker, Ephriam says he has no choice but to return to the facility.