Los Angeles county grocery and retail drugstore employees may get a $5 an hour pay increase if the county Board of Supervisors approves a “hero pay” ordinance later this month, reports the Los Angeles Times. The measure, proposed by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell, would mandate the pay increase for publicly traded grocery store or retail drug companies, or companies that have at least 300 employees nationwide and have more than 10 employees per store site. If approved, it would remain in effect for 120 days.
“While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, with the approval and administration of the vaccine, the health threats these workers face are as real as they were at the beginning of the pandemic given the surge of cases in our county,” said board chair Solis in a statement. “It is imperative that we act with urgency to support just compensation for grocery and drug retail employees.”
The board will vote on the measure at its next public meeting on January 26. Full Story
Related: CDC Recommends Grocery, Foodservice Workers Get Vaccine; FDA Recognizes Essential Food, Agriculture Workers.