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The meeting will serve as a briefing to council members about the suit filed against the city by the California Grocers Association and as an opportunity to fix what City Attorney Charles Parkin called a procedural error in passing the law.
The ordinance, which mandates a $4 per-hour raise for grocery workers for at least the next 120 days, was adopted as an emergency ordinance at Tuesday night’s council meeting, meaning it went into effect as soon as the mayor signed it Wednesday. A non-emergency ordinance wouldn’t take effect until 30 days after the mayor’s signature.
When adopting an emergency ordinance, the council typically takes two votes during the process, the first to declare the urgency of it, and a second vote to actually adopt it. But a review of footage from Tuesday’s council meeting confirmed that the members voted just once on the ordinance.
City Council asks city attorney to bring back "hero pay" ordinance for consideration, but California Grocers Association just filed lawsuit over similar Long Beach ordinance.
The suit claims the emergency ordinance singles out grocery stores despite other sectors like public safety, transportation and restaurants also employing essential front line workers but not being mandated to pay them extra money.
Long Beach approves $4 per hour hero pay for grocery store workers
KABC
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LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) Workers at large grocery stores in Long Beach can now get an extra $4 an hour in hazard pay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The city council unanimously approved the wage increase at Tuesday s meeting. The ordinance was tentatively approved, and a final vote is scheduled for Feb. 2. Taking a moment in-between watching inaugural events to sign a $4 an hour pay increase for grocery and supermarket workers. You have earned this hero pay. Thank you for your hard work, Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted Wednesday.
Last year many grocery retailers including Walmart boosted wages for their workers.
Several jurisdictions in California are mandating “hero pay” increases for grocery store workers, a trend that appears to have started in New York City and could keep spreading throughout the country.
This week, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved an ordinance requiring grocery stores with at least 300 employees nationwide or more than 15 employees per store to pay workers an additional $4 per hour for at least 120 days. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reported that officials in the city of Los Angeles are also working on similar pay raises for grocery store workers. Long Beach Councilwoman Mary Zendejas told the newspaper: “I’m so grateful to have stood with my colleagues in support of hero pay for our essential grocery workers.”