Workers will reportedly strike at major companies Friday over coronavirus work concerns

Employees at several major companies including Amazon and Walmart will reportedly strike Friday in demand of better protective equipment and benefits as the work during the deadly coronavirus.

The strike will occur on International Workers Day and also include FedEx, Instacart, Target and Whole Foods, according to The Intercept.

The news gathering agency was reportedly told by Daniel Steinbrook, a Whole Foods employee and "strike organizer," that he and fellow company employees were striking to "show solidarity with other essential workers in our struggle for better protections and benefits in the pandemic." 

While some businesses have been forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic, other companies have have experienced massive surges in business as people hunker down in their homes. Instacart, a company that delivers groceries to people's homes, has recently been hiring hundreds of thousands of new shoppers.

"While we respect people’s right to express themselves, we object to the irresponsible actions of labor groups in spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon during this unprecedented health and economic crisis,” Amazon spokespeople told The Intercept.

"Our team has been diligently working to offer new policies, guidelines, product features, resources, increased bonuses, and personal protective equipment to ensure the health and safety of shoppers during this critical time," Instacart said in a statement to Newsweek, which has also reported on the purported strike.

"Our focus right now is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our Team Members, which remains our top priority, while continuing to serve our customers and communities," a Whole Foods spokesperson told The Intercept.