Union representing grocery workers pushing to expand hazard pay across Puget Sound region
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Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, grocery store workers in the Puget Sound region have worried about their safety.
They have said they have felt unsafe going into work every day, and have been nervous about getting infected with the coronavirus at work and bringing it home to their families. They have raised concerns about safety measures not being enforced in stores, about people coming in without masks, customers not socially distancing from employees and staff not having enough time to clean and sanitize properly.
QFC to shut down two Seattle stores; said decision accelerated after city s hazard pay ordinance
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The outside of a QFC store in Seattle, Wash.CLAIRE MAULDING, SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLEPI
QFC announced Tuesday it is closing down two of its Seattle stores after the city last month passed an ordinance requiring large grocery stores to pay eligible employees an extra $4 per hour in hazard pay during the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said the two stores in Capitol Hill at 416 15th Ave. E and Wedgewood at 8400 35th Ave. NE were underperforming, but the decision to close the stores was accelerated after Seattle s hazard pay ordinance. The two stores will stay open until April 24.
Seattle City Council passes bill requiring $4 an hour in hazard pay for grocery store workers
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A sheet of plexiglass separates cashier Joselyn Jimenez from customers in line at ShopRite of Commerce St. in Stamford, Conn. Monday, March 30, 2020. Many grocery stores are taking precautions in preventing the spread of coronavirus including signs promoting social distancing and plexiglass between shoppers and cashiers.Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
2of3Angela Douglas (left) restocks produce as customers shop at Bi-Rite Market in the Mission District of San Francisco, Calif. Friday, November 20, 2020. With rising COVID cases, retailers, including grocers, are wary of surging crowds, and possible panic shopping not seen since March, over the holiday seasons.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less