Grocers renew call to end Covid-19 hazard pay in Seattle
A grocery store trade group is calling on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the City Council to end the hazard pay ordinance for grocery store workers.
The citywide policy, which has been in place since January 2021, requires large grocers to pay front-line workers an extra $4 an hour. The mandate is tied to the city's 2-year-old Covid-19 emergency declaration, which is managed by the mayor, though the City Council could set a new end date.
Across the country, local governments, including King and Snohomish counties, responded to the pandemic by requiring pay bumps for workers at large grocery stores.
In Seattle, previous efforts by grocers and trade groups to get the council to drop the hazard pay mandate were unsuccessful. The latest push comes as the Omicron wave recedes, with Gov. Jay Inslee and public health agencies dropping state and local mask mandates and vaccine verification policies. King County's Covid-19 case rate continues to fall, down 33% week over week, according to Public Health — Seattle & King County.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/03/15/call-to-end-hazard-pay-seattle.html
