PCC urges Durkan to reconsider 'hazard pay' bill for Seattle grocery workers
Many Seattle grocery store employees will soon see a $4 per hour pay bump in their paychecks.
Mayor Jenny Durkan on Wednesday signed the “hazard pay” bill, approved by the Seattle City Council last week. The extra pay acknowledges the health risks faced by grocery workers during the pandemic.
Suzanne Monford, CEO of Seattle-based PCC Community Markets, emailed Durkan last week asking her to reconsider signing the bill, citing thin profit margins for independent grocers such as PCC and calling instead for better access to Covid-19 vaccines for grocery store workers.
PCC, which employs more than 1,700 people across its 15 locations, spent nearly double its 2019 net income of $1.7 million on Covid-19 related expenses last year, Monford wrote. These expenses included staff appreciation pay, bonuses and in-store safety protocols, cutting the chain's margins "to the bone."
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/02/02/pcc-ceo-hazard-pay.html
Interesting. Compare them to what Trader Joes has done per this.
Trader Joe's adopts temporary $4 raises nationwide after Seattle passes hazard pay bill
About a week after Seattle passed legislation mandating hazard pay for some grocery store workers, Trader Joe's announced it would be giving employees across the country an extra $4 per hour throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
In a message on its website, the grocery store — which had already been giving hourly employees an extra $2 per hour in "thank you" pay throughout the pandemic — said it would be bumping that up to $4 per hour.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, Trader Joe’s has provided all hourly Crew Members with an additional $2/hr 'thank you' wage, in recognition of the outstanding, inspiring work they do every day, in our stores and communities," the company said. "Effective February 1, 2021, the 'thank you' premium for all hourly, non-management Crew Members, was increased by two dollars, for a total of $4 an hour."
In a letter management wrote to employees, as reported by The Seattle Times, the company cited the recent hazard pay ordinances passed in Seattle and in cities across California in its decision to up its own additional pay for employees.
https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/trader-joes-4-thank-you-pay-seattle-hazard-pay-15919163.php
