Essential workers are losing their hazard pay even though the hazard isn't over
At Megan McHonie’s job, social distancing is all but impossible.
A floral clerk at a King Soopers grocery store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she comes into close contact with shoppers every day. “When I’m outside watering the plants, the customers don’t keep within six feet of me at all,” she told Vox. “They’re actually within touching distance.”
McHonie has been anxious about coming to work during the pandemic, but one thing she appreciated was the $2-an-hour “hero bonus” that King Soopers’ parent company, Kroger, gave essential workers like her starting at the end of March.
But Kroger’s “hero bonus” raises ended on May 16, even as coronavirus cases continued to rise across the country. The grocer isn’t alone — other companies that instituted some form of additional pay for workers earlier this year in recognition of their position on the front lines are now rolling back those increases, even though the danger is far from gone. Starbucks, for example, is planning to end a $3-per-hour raise for workers at the end of May, according to the Los Angeles Times.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/essential-workers-are-losing-their-hazard-pay-even-though-the-hazard-isnt-over/ar-BB14ayMj?ocid=NL_ENUS_D1_20200519_8_2
