Seattle Council Approves Grocery Store Hazard Pay During Pandemic

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council moved quickly on Monday to approve legislation requiring grocery stores to provide workers $4 in hourly hazard pay for the remainder of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Convenience stores and food marts "primarily selling a limited line of goods" are exempt from the rule.

The council bill, introduced last Friday by budget chair Teresa Mosqueda and co-sponsored by seven of her colleagues, garnered strong support among city leaders. Mosqueda noted that many companies that once offered such pay stopped doing so months ago, despite a pandemic that continues to rage. Offering hazard pay, Mosqueda said, compensates essential workers for the added risks and helps offset potential financial burdens if they become infected.

"Hazard pay for grocery workers is the least we can do to recognize the dangers they face when going to work, including unmasked customers, customers who are coughing and not respecting social distancing rules, and cleaning of commonly used surfaces," Mosqueda said. "Many grocery stores were paying their workers hazard pay early on in the pandemic, but that recognition quickly went away last summer, despite grocery store workers still facing serious risk of contracting COVID-19 at their workplace. Grocery store workers are sacrificing their health to make sure shelves are stocked, but we should not treat grocery store workers as sacrificial."

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan also voiced support for the legislation Friday and applauded its passage Monday as "a strong step forward in Seattle's recovery."

The ordinance mandates the added pay remain intact until the COVID-19 emergency ends but includes an option to reconsider the measure in late April after grocery store workers of all ages become eligible for vaccines. With an 8-0 vote, the bill cleared the threshold for a supermajority and will take effect as soon as the mayor signs it into law.

Seattle joins several other U.S. cities that are considering or have already implemented similar payments, including San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. Last summer, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved legislation requiring food delivery apps to provide drivers $2.50 in hazard pay per trip.