King County Council may be next to mandate ‘hazard pay’ for grocery workers

First the Seattle City Council did it, then the Burien City Council did it, and now the King County Council is considering also requiring “hazard pay” for grocery workers. The new proposal (read it here) would cover unincorporated King County; that would include White Center and the rest of unincorporated North Highline immediately south of West Seattle. The proposal would mandate $4/hour hazard pay – same as Seattle but $1 less than Burien – at “larger” grocery stores. Here’s the full announcement, which quotes a worker from Roxbury Safeway, Jeanette Randall, as saying, “Every day when I go to work I put myself and my family at risk, King County passing a hazard pay ordinance would make sure workers like me receive the same compensation for the essential work that I do as workers in neighboring Burien and Seattle.” The proposal has just been introduced; we’ll be checking on when it’s likely to come up for a vote.

Mike February 12, 2021 (10:13 pm)

Maybe the politicians should fund it. The citizens are taxed enough, not like anything we vote for taxes on actually gets the funds we approve of. Paper shuffle “reallocate” game. Defund politicians, pay frontline workers.

Question Authority February 13, 2021 (6:16 pm)

Foods a given, but where’s the bonus for the Water, Sewer, Power, Transportation, Police and EMS workers that provide what else keeps you alive?

Idk February 14, 2021 (7:58 pm)

Those people make an affordable living wage. Grocery store workers are making like 15$/hr it’s ok to give them extra and help them out.

Huck February 17, 2021 (5:56 am)

SEATTLE – The QFC grocery chain announced Tuesday it will close two of its Seattle stores in part because of the city’s new law mandating $4 an hour pay raises for grocery store workers.