Speedway increases hourly wages, pays bonuses during pandemic

Speedway has announced that it has increased the hourly wage for its store employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The increase was implemented on Thursday and will last until April 29. New Cutline: Speedway officials say the company is on track to be completely separated from Marathon by the end of the year. Bill Lackey/Staff

Speedway has announced that it has increased the hourly wage for its store employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The increase was implemented on Thursday and will last until April 29. New Cutline: Speedway officials say the company is on track to be completely separated from Marathon by the end of the year. Bill Lackey/Staff

The president of Speedway announced the company is increasing pay for hourly store associates, maintenance technicians and transport drivers working during the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement was made in a recent post on the convenience store chain’s Facebook account. As a result, the Enon-based company has increased hourly rates by $2 an hour. The pay increase went into effect Thursday and will last until April 29, according to Speedway’s President Tim Griffith.

Griffith said the decision was made in order to recognize those employees who have been “working hard to keep our stores open, fueled, stocked and clean during this pandemic.”

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With Gov. DeWine’s stay-at-home order that was implemented last week, Speedway has been considered an essential business along with other convenience stores, gas stations, hardware shops, grocery stores and restaurants that are currently providing carryout and delivery services.

The company is also giving store general managers, cafe managers and restaurant managers one-time bonuses in recognition “of the great job they are doing in this difficult environment,” the post said.

Speedway spokesman Christian Holfinger said the company has continued to use preventive measures that were adopted by the company earlier this month. That includes providing hand sanitizer stations at its stores as well as having employees practice social distancing and adjusting store-level operations to align with evolving state and local guidelines.

“Our focus continues to be the health of our customers and employees while providing essential services from our stores,” Holfinger said in an email to the News-Sun.

He said Speedway also has implemented business-continuity plans to accommodate staffing needs in the event of illness-related absenteeism. The company has also worked with critical suppliers to ensure ongoing support in the event of illness-related disruptions.

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Those employees working at its headquarters in Enon or at other corporate offices have been asked to work from home if able.

“We have also established an internal website with a variety of resources for employees to use. We closely monitor the latest developments regarding (the coronavirus) and adjust our response to the situation on a daily basis as events warrant,” Holfinger previously told the News-Sun.

Griffith said every Speedway employee is eligible for the company’s emergency pay plan specific to coronavirus related quarantine or illness.

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