Hazard pay for grocery store workers could be gaining momentum in Bay Area
Could hazard pay for grocery store workers catch on in the Bay Area?
San Jose city leaders are debating hazard pay for grocery store workers through the pandemic after Oakland became the first Bay Area city to pass an emergency ordinance that boosts workers pay $5 an hour. The grocers association is planning a legal challenge to the ordinance.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - On Tuesday, the City of Oakland became the first in the Bay Area to mandate hazard pay for many grocery store workers. The vote was unanimous and it means an extra five dollars per hour during the pandemic. The idea is gaining momentum with more cities possibly following suit.
John Nunes, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union representing 30,000 workers from Monterey to the Oregon border, said the employees deserve the extra pay. Not only are they putting themselves at risk, they also have family members at home that they could be bringing the pandemic to, which has happened over and over and over again, he said. Food and commercial workers on a nationwide scale have had over 120 employees succumb to the coronavirus and have died as a result of exposing themselves in the workplace.
Those representing the grocery industry warn that mandating so-called heroes or hazard pay will only drive up grocery prices and could lead to grocery stores shuttering some stores.
By Valerie Hernandez
Feb 2, 2021
Kroger just announced that it will close down a Ralph s and a Food4Less location in Long Beach as a response to a city ordinance requiring a $4 hero pay salary boost. In a company statement, As a result of the city of Long Beach s decision to pass an ordinance mandating extra pay for grocery workers, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close long-struggling store locations in Long Beach. This misguided action by the Long Beach City Council oversteps the traditional bargaining process and applies to some, but not all, grocery workers in the city. The irreparable harm that will come to employees and local citizens as a direct result of the city of Long Beach s attempt to pick winners and losers, is deeply unfortunate. We are truly saddened that our associates and customers will ultimately be the real victims of the city council s actions.
Trader Joe s adds $2 per hour in COVID-19 hazard pay for workers
Published
Trader Joe’s offering ‘hazard pay’
LOS ANGELES - Trader Joe s is raising its workers pay by an additional $2 an hour during the coronavirus pandemic, as Los Angeles weighs an ordinance that would mandate an extra $5 an hour for many workers at large grocery stores and pharmacies.
The raise follows a similar $2-an-hour bump that the Monrovia-based company began offering last year. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Trader Joe s has provided all hourly crew members with an additional $2/hr thank you wage, in recognition of the outstanding, inspiring work they do every day, in our stores and communities, the company announced on its website.
Kroger Will Shut 2 California Stores To Avoid Offering Workers Hazard Pay
Kroger is closing two stores in California rather than pay grocery workers an extra four dollars an hour for working at the nation s largest supermarket chain during the coronavirus pandemic. The company blamed a decision by local officials who recently approved a temporary wage increase for some supermarket employees.
Kroger said it will close the stores, a Ralphs and a Food 4 Less, in April because of the law, passed in January by the Long Beach city council. With a handful of cities across California weighing whether to mandate hazard pay for grocery workers, Kroger also warned that it could shut more stores.