Effort to end mandated hazard pay for grocery store workers fails in Seattle City Council vote
Another effort to end Seattle's hazard pay ordinance for grocery workers during the pandemic failed Tuesday.
The city has required large grocery store chains to pay workers an extra $4 an hour since January 2021. In December, the City Council voted 8-0 to set an end date for the temporary requirement, but that ordinance was quickly vetoed by former outgoing Mayor Jenny Durkan, as the Omicron variant was taking root in the region.
On Tuesday, the council voted 5-2 to uphold Durkan's veto, with newly elected Councilmember Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen casting the lone votes to override Durkan's decision.
Since its adoption, grocery store chains and associations have lobbied the city to do away with its hazard pay ordinance, threatening that higher wages would cause store closures and higher prices.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/01/25/grocery-hazard-pay-ends.html