San Mateo Adopts $5 Hazard Pay For Grocery Store Workers

SAN MATEO, CA — The city of San Mateo adopted $5 hazard pay for grocery store employees during a city council meeting on Monday due to the risks of working on the frontlines during the pandemic.

The ordinance, approved unanimously by the council, will be in effect for 90 days and apply to stores in San Mateo that have over 750 employees nationwide, excluding franchisees. In addition to an extra $5 an hour of pay, employees will also receive four hours of paid leave to get their COVID-19 vaccinations.

San Mateo is the second city in San Mateo County to approve a hazard pay ordinance after South San Francisco enacted a similar ordinance last week.

The proposed ordinance originally applied to stores in San Mateo that have over 500 employees nationwide, but council members pushed it to 750.

Council member Diane Papan, who suggested the change, said that she felt the ordinance was a “very measured approach,” applicable up until vaccinations increase.

“The risk was consistent but the pay hasn’t really been consistent,” Papan said. “When we consider, not only does the risk continue but we’ve got some variants right now that have really increased the risk of transmission.”