Labor helps win hazard pay for Seattle grocery clerks, seeks wider adoption

Seattle City Council approves grocery store worker ‘hazard pay’

City council members unanimously approved legislation approving hazard pay for grocery store workers during the ongoing pandemic.

SEATTLE - Grocery store workers have proven themselves essential since the onset of this pandemic, and that is why the Seattle City Council unanimously approved a $4 per hour increase in hazard pay.

Industry leaders say a the legislation could cut into already slim profit margins for – leaving some grocers little choice but to cut back in other areas.

Essential workers’ pay had been boosted at the onset of the pandemic. Now that new COVID-19 variants are entering our community, grocery clerks insist the risk be compensated as hazardous.

"I didn’t sign up for this but here I am," said Wil Peterson who is a grocery clerk in the North Sound.

Grocery stores invested heavily in PPE, barriers between clerks and customers and other mitigation tactics, but Peterson says the continued risk remains top of mind.

"We are all put in a difficult position," he said. "We are doing the best we can and trying to get out of there alive."

"I hope that this hazard pay goes a ways towards helping you survive this pandemic as well," said Seattle City Council Member M. Lorena Gonzalez on Monday when the council unanimously approved the legislation.

Companies that employ more than 500 people around the world are subject to the new requirement. The hazard pay will last as long as the city’s pandemic civil emergency, but Peterson says workers outside of Seattle need help.

"Hopefully what has happened in Seattle will bolster our efforts to get something similar," he said.

The Washington Food Industry Association worries companies could cut costs to cover the difference in pay, especially after investing in mitigation efforts to limit the spread of the virus. The organization said grocery workers need immediate access to the vaccine.

"Grocery workers are four times more likely to get Covid than other workers," said Sarah Cherin with UFCW 21.

The union helped push the hazard pay legislation in Seattle and officials said organized labor would continue to fight for workers.

"It’s overdue and welcome and we’re looking forward to other jurisdictions as well," said Cherin.

As vaccine distribution stalled and a mutating virus brings more uncertainty, Peterson hopes your next trip to the grocer will include a mask, patience and understanding.

In February, labor representatives aim to convince Burien City Council Members to adopt similar legislation.