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On Feb. 3, the same day that Seattle’s $4/hour “hazard pay” law for grocery store workers went into effect, the Northwest Grocery Association and the Washington Food Industry Association filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle to stop this new law.
The lawsuit filed in Seattle’s U.S. District Court alleges that the so-called “hazard pay” law interferes with the collective-bargaining process between grocery stores and unions. The other allegation is that the law “picks winners and losers” by singling out large grocery companies. This allegation underscores that the law only applies to those grocery stores with more than 500 employees worldwide. As many as 10,000 workers in Seattle are eligible for the pay boost.
Employers can require the coronavirus vaccine, many holding off for now By Heidi Groover, The Seattle Times
Published: February 5, 2021, 10:30am
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At Google and Amazon, it’s “strongly encouraged.” At Trader Joe’s, it will earn employees extra pay. At the downtown Seattle law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, it will be a condition of returning to the office. Aegis senior living facilities will require it once vaccines are widely available.
As the coronavirus vaccine gradually becomes more accessible, businesses big and small are weighing whether to require their employees to get the shot.
For office employees and front-line workers, a vaccine requirement could mean safety and peace of mind as the economy starts to return to pre-pandemic levels. But a mandate could also turn off some workers who are skeptical of the vaccine and introduce new headaches as long the vaccine is in short supply.
By Zack Budryk - 02/04/21 03:44 PM EST
Two trade groups representing grocery stores in the Pacific Northwest sued the city of Seattle on Wednesday for requiring stores to increase workers’ hazard pay by $4 an hour amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the city ordinance, all large grocery stores with locations bigger than 10,000 square feet and more than 500 employees worldwide must provide the pay increase to all workers through the end of the city’s civil emergency.
“Unfortunately, the council’s unprecedented ordinance, its unilateral action, and unwillingness to work with the grocery industry has left us with no other option than to file a lawsuit against the city,” Tammie Hetrick, president and CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association, said in a statement, according to The Seattle Times.