In the coming weeks the Pierce County Council will consider an ordinance proposing hazard pay for grocery store employees, effective through the duration of the governor’s declared COVID-19 emergency.
Co-sponsored by councilmembers Jani Hitchen, District 6, and Ryan Mello, District 4, the ordinance as initially drafted proposes all employees of a grocery store with 500 or more employees worldwide receive an additional $4/hour of hazard pay during their shift. The ordinance applies to incorporated and unincorporated Pierce County.
“These workers have been on the frontlines for the last year and it has not been easy,” said Councilmember Hitchen. “While the proposed additional pay won’t make their jobs easier, it provides much-needed compensation for the hazards of working while facing significant exposure to COVID-19.”
Councilmember Mello added:
“With a fourth COVID surge here, rising case counts and a roll back to Phase 2 of our Healthy Washington reopening plan, it is clear our grocery workers are facing unprecedented danger by showing up to work every day. These working families face many hardships in an already low-paid environment. That’s not fair and hazard pay is the least we can do.”
Angel Gonzalez, President of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 367, thanked members Hitchen and Mello for bringing forward the proposed ordinance.
“While the grocery stores’ profits have increased tremendously this last year, our grocery workers have incurred personal unexpected costs including purchasing their own personal protection equipment, COVID-tests, additional childcare costs due to school closings, and losing pay due to illness or exposure,” Gonzalez said. “Grocery workers are vital to our communities and they deserve a safe workplace and fair pay for the risks and stress they experience daily.”
At its April 20, 2021 regular meeting Council set the legislative timeline for the proposed ordinance. The ordinance will first be reviewed by the Pierce County Council Human Services Committee in a special meeting Friday, April 30, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. It is set for final action before Council at its May 4, 2021 meeting at 3 p.m.
What about us child care workers we need that pay also
The Hazard pay should be for the Hotel employees to that stayed open we put our lives on the line as much as the grocery store workers to
Pierce County should stay out of this. You see what is happening in Seattle with stores closing, the price of food going up. I know a number of workers who refused to go to work not because of the COVID-19, but they were getting paid more to stay home. There are other people who were considered essential who went to work everyday including me. Where do you draw the line? Pierce County Council should be taking care of the real problems in the county, crime, defending the sheriff from these false charges, taking care of the homeless, etc. Do there morons not know these extra charges gets passed to the consumer? So the $4 hazard pay only gets eaten up in higher cost for everyone, including the employee!
What about manicurists and those who give pedicures? Barbers and hair stylists work in close proximity to people; don’t forget them. And, hey! Don’t forget those who administer bikini waxes and other areas of hair removal!
There are a plethora of people who come in contact with others. This idea of everyone needing to be paid extra for it is ridiculous. Stop this greediness, and stop it now.
Going to get your nails or feet done, a bikini wax to a haircut is a choice one makes and is nowhere essential of a need like going to a grocery store! You need food! You can’t survive without it! You can however survive without pampering yourself!
Bravo ?
There is no difference between the hazards in those other professions and grocery workers. It’s that the UFCW, who represents the workers for those large stores, has found a way to convince a couple council members that grocery workers’ jobs are more hazardous than others.
The “victim mentality” marches on and, if money can be made from it then the constant complaining has paid off.
Hey! Then the public that wears their masks, gets their shots, and only ventures out of the home only to pick a few dandelions for a salad are victims too! Where’s MY check?!
What about the trucking industry. We have been making sure that supplies get to the business thst need them including grocery stores
A case of P.County trying to out woke K.County or just your usual money grab by a union…either way ridiculous.
I work at home depot and have been there throughout the pandemic. No extras money is needed. This is about people who are working being selfish. Not like we’ve been out of work. The companies are the ones who should be using the extra profits to increase pay. The country and state should keep their bosses out of it. But they can’t because they’re Demonrats and love wielding control over the masses. Open everything back up and most of these issues with employment would figure themselves out.
Silly, you can have groceries delivered contactless.
Under the umbrella of “lives matter” we are all essential as humans. Life is priceless so let’s all of us get a couple extra dollars just because. Why not, we can just print money, as much as we need, right?
Oh wait inflation and all the US businesses will just move operations off shore.
Maybe when there are no customers buying the toilet paper then there won’t be a need for a grocery store worker.
Fast food workers should also get paid hazzard pay since we are also dealing with the public and people not wanting to wear masks coming to the drive thru
What about deli workers IN the grocery stores on military bases? Are they included in hazard pay?