Law Offices of Mark C. Wagner logo

News & Resources

Category: Articles

Hazard pay measures for grocery workers approved elsewhere. Is Tacoma next?

Hazard pay measures for grocery workers approved elsewhere. Is Tacoma next? Local grocery workers are calling on the Tacoma City Council to pass an ordinance requiring their employers to give them pandemic hazard pay, as has been done in other cities across the state and country. During the virtual Community Forum at Tacoma’s City Council meeting Feb. 23, grocery workers called on the council to require area grocers to offer hourly hazard pay bonuses during the coronavirus pandemic.   Such pay was offered early in the pandemic by Kroger and Safeway/Albertsons, but the incentives ended over the summer even as workers contend the same risks remain. A draft ordinance attached to Tuesday’s study session would establish a temporary “hazard pay requirement for additional compensation for grocery employees working within the corporate boundaries of the City of Tacoma” through the duration of the city’s COVID-19 emergency proclamation of March 13, 2020. The draft ordinance does not state a specific dollar amount for hazard pay but indicates that City Council might be discussing a figure. The draft ordinance defines a “grocery business” as a retail store operation located within the corporate boundaries of the City of Tacoma that is either: ▪ Over 10,000 square feet in size and that is primarily engaged in the retail sale of groceries… or, ▪ Over 85,000 square feet and with 30 percent or more of its sales floor area dedicated to the retail sale of groceries. Convenience stores, food marts, farmers’ markets and farm stands are not considered […]