Bellingham City Council approves hazard pay ordinance for grocery store workers
Bellingham City Council this week became the latest city in Washington to pass a hazard pay ordinance for grocery store workers.
Under the measure, which passed 5-2, grocery stores across the city with at least 40 employees in Bellingham and 500 worldwide must pay employees an extra $4 per hour in hazard pay throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“We fought an honorable fight for an honorable cause to give the hard-working people on the front lines what they deserve in these hazardous times," Chris Vincent, a produce worker at Bakerview Fred Meyer, said in a news release from UFCW 21, the union representing grocery workers in the region. "I want to personally thank the Bellingham City Council for recognizing the hazardous conditions we work in and for their support in compensating us for it. When we stand together, we win together."
Over the past few months, several jurisdictions in Washington and California have passed their own hazard pay ordinances for grocery workers. Seattle City Council was one of the first to pass the legislation. It was followed by the King County and Burien.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bellingham-city-council-approves-hazard-pay-ordinance-for-grocery-store-workers/ar-BB1g9WVt
