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April 19, 2021 10:15 AM
Outside an Aldi grocery store on Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach, signs read heroes work here. (Megan Garvey/LAist)
Two grocery stores in Long Beach closed permanently on Saturday after parent company Kroger took issue with the city s hero pay law.
Back in February, Kroger announced plans to close a Ralphs and a Food 4 Less, shortly after elected officials in Long Beach passed a temporary hazard pay mandate for large grocery chains.
The hero pay rules require larger employers to pay their frontline grocery workers an extra $4 per hour over four months. Proponents said the goal is to compensate employees who have faced enormous risk while working through the pandemic.
A Ralphs and a Food 4 Less are set to close permanently, with parent company Kroger blaming the city's elected leaders for passing a temporary $4-per-hour pay bump.
2 Kroger grocery stores set to close in Long Beach Saturday due to Hero Pay ordinanceÂ
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Two Long Beach grocery stores set to close due to âHero Payâ ordinance
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Two Kroger grocery stores in Long Beach are set permanently close on April 17 due to mandated raises, also known as the hero pay ordinance that was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, Long Beach became the first city in Southern California to pass the ordinance, which requires grocery store workers to be paid an additional $4 an hour.
Less than two weeks later, Kroger announced it would close two of its stores in Long Beach.