9 21-0059 Subject: Grocery Worker Hazard Pay Emergency Ordinance
From: Council President Fortunato Bas And Councilmember Gallo
Recommendation: Adopt An Emergency Ordinance (1) Adding Chapter 5.96 To The Oakland Municipal Code To Require Large Grocery Stores In Oakland To Pay Employees An Additional Five Dollars ($5.00) Per Hour In Hazard Pay During The Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic And (2) Amending Chapter 2.44 Of The Oakland Municipal Code To Include Enforcement Of Emergency Hazard Pay To Grocery Employees As Part Of The Duties Of The Department Of Workplace And Employment Standards
Please vote YES in support of the grocery worker hazard pay ordinance. As a public health researcher for Human Impact Partners, a public health nonprofit in downtown Oakland, I know that supporting the economic security of essential workers during this pandemic is crucial for the health of our entire community. Please vote yes.
I am a resident of D2 and my local grocery store is Lucky on E 18th St. I am in support of this ordinance that would give our local grocery store workers a bump in pay for how they have tirelessly shown up for our community.
My name is Rev. Kurt A. Kuhwald. I happily live in District 3 where our new council person, Carroll Fife is carrying the progressive banner our District's voters handily supported, and long hoped for. I am a member of the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, and of Economic Justice for Black Oakland.
My comment: Contrary to the Mayor's recent conversion to the philosophy of Austerity, what we need to be austere about in the spending of City funds is ill-founded and self-preserving fear—fear that not pandering to the moneyed interests in this city, or the power constituencies, like the OPD whose bloated budget is a moral embarrassment—fear that somehow Oakland will lose out if it takes care of its people, its working people—and regarding the compassionate, culturally and economically astute, ordinance that Council Chair Bas is presenting today in particular—somehow Oakland will lose out if it takes care of its working people rather than further feathering the opulent nests of wealthy power brokers of this City.
Vote yes to require large grocery stores in Oakland to pay employees an additional $5/ hour in hazard pay during COVID-19. It is the intelligent and morally correct action to take and demonstrates the kind of leadership this Council needs to be committed to, in order to secure safety, health, and living wages for all of its citizens.
I am a resident of D4 and work as a civil rights attorney with focus in policing and labor/employment. I support this resolution and ask for all council members to vote YES. There is not dispute that grocery stores are essential (even before the pandemic) and that it requires workers to keep them open and functioning. Oakland joins other major cities in this effort. I would like to see the resolution include an explicit right to liquidated damages and interest as Long Beach's does and is allowed for under state law for minimum wage violations. I encourage council to plan for corporate greed and pushback we are seeing in Long Beach including litigation and now Kroger plans to close 2 stores affecting hundreds of workers and all the residents that rely on those stores for access to food. What will the City do if Kroger or other corporate owners does the same in Oakland? - Allyssa Victory #Victory4Oakland
I am a resident of District 2 in Oakland. I fully support this initiative. Grocery workers have been risking their health so that the general public can be fed. They deserve this recognition for their service.
I'm a District 2 resident and I absolutely support this. Companies who have been making increased profits during this time have a moral obligation to share them with the workers who are putting their bodies on the line during this time. These workers have always deserved increased pay and the fact that we are just now debating this is a shame. Please pass this and make Oakland a leader in supporting essential workers!
I strongly support hazard pay for grocery workers. Currently, as employees paid by the hour, any increase in pay must come with a corresponding increase in exposure to Covid-19. Further, while workers follow health and safety guidelines and requirements while at work, they have little power or leverage to enforce the same with customers who refuse to comply. Hazard pay would be a step toward compensating grocery workers for providing an essential service to our community while facing an extremely high level of risk.
I am a resident of Oakland for over 60 years and also an essential grocery worker, I strongly support this ordinance for hazard pay as we are some of the hardest hit by this pandemic and continue to put our lives on the line!
I am a resident in Oakland and strongly support this. Grocery workers are essential workers: none of us would have food on the table without them. If you are going to force them to work in person and come into contact with hundreds of people a day, the least you can do is give them hazard pay so they know they are prepared if they were to catch the virus. They deserve to be paid a living wage for the extremely stressful and important work they do.
As a resident of Oakland who has been able to work at home, remotely, since the start of the pandemic, I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am — and of how much risk grocery workers have had to take on during this period. Aside from requiring and rigorously enforcing COVID safety measures at every grocery store, the very least our city can do is to provide these truly essential workers with generous hazard pay to help compensate them for their work. An extra five dollars an hour is not very much — they deserve much more. Indeed, they have deserved much more for many years — they deserve to be paid a living wage for their labor. But now, given the extra hazard these workers are having to take on, our city should not be stingy. Please pas this measure!
I strongly support this ordinance for hazard pay for Oakland grocery workers. Large companies like Whole Foods are making record sales, while their employees are in precarious, life-threatening positions. This assistance is needed and should be passed by the Council.
My name is Maria Moreno and I'm a District 5 worker. I strongly support hazard pay for our grocery workers. If it was not for their courage and them putting their literal lives on the line, we would not have access to meet some of our most basic needs. They deserve more from us, their employers, and our system. Fair compensation is just one of many benefits they should at least get.
I strongly support this ordinance as a District 6 resident. We need to adequately value and protect our essential grocery store workers. This is a fair expectation for large grocery stores to provide.
My name is Cynthia Morfin, and I am a D3 resident. I strongly support hazard pay for grocery workers. Grocery workers are among the hardest hit directly by the pandemic, yet their compensation for their labor and their lives is unliveable especially for the Bay Area.
Absolutely support this. All the stores in question are large companies that have been making record profits. The majority of our grocery store workers come from some of the groups hardest hit by the virus, and are taking risks every day to continue to make a living and ensure we are able to get our food each day. Please pass this.
I am a D1 resident and I strongly support this measure. These workers are called essential by our politicians and our press, even on billboard ads put up by the grocery conglomerates themselves, but they aren't paid like they are essential.
They are taking enormous risks to feed the country. There is nothing more nobel and essential than that. With that extra pay, hopefully they can afford to buy themselves more effective PPE to make sure they are protected
I live IN D1 and i STRONGLY support hazard pay for all essential workers. These individuals are risky their lives under a living wage and it's despicable. We demand corporations put their money where their mouths are when they say essential workers as heroes. Working at a grocery store should not make you a martyr when corporate stores are pocketing millions. They should be compensated for the risk they take on, properly staffed and have their safety prioritized.
I am a D2 resident and I urge you to support hazard pay increases for all frontline workers, particularly grocery workers. They are critical to our community!
Oakland City Councilmembers:
Please vote YES in support of the grocery worker hazard pay ordinance. As a public health researcher for Human Impact Partners, a public health nonprofit in downtown Oakland, I know that supporting the economic security of essential workers during this pandemic is crucial for the health of our entire community. Please vote yes.
Thank you, Martha Ockenfels-Martinez, MPH
I am a resident of D2 and my local grocery store is Lucky on E 18th St. I am in support of this ordinance that would give our local grocery store workers a bump in pay for how they have tirelessly shown up for our community.
My name is Rev. Kurt A. Kuhwald. I happily live in District 3 where our new council person, Carroll Fife is carrying the progressive banner our District's voters handily supported, and long hoped for. I am a member of the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, and of Economic Justice for Black Oakland.
My comment: Contrary to the Mayor's recent conversion to the philosophy of Austerity, what we need to be austere about in the spending of City funds is ill-founded and self-preserving fear—fear that not pandering to the moneyed interests in this city, or the power constituencies, like the OPD whose bloated budget is a moral embarrassment—fear that somehow Oakland will lose out if it takes care of its people, its working people—and regarding the compassionate, culturally and economically astute, ordinance that Council Chair Bas is presenting today in particular—somehow Oakland will lose out if it takes care of its working people rather than further feathering the opulent nests of wealthy power brokers of this City.
Vote yes to require large grocery stores in Oakland to pay employees an additional $5/ hour in hazard pay during COVID-19. It is the intelligent and morally correct action to take and demonstrates the kind of leadership this Council needs to be committed to, in order to secure safety, health, and living wages for all of its citizens.
I am a resident of D4 and work as a civil rights attorney with focus in policing and labor/employment. I support this resolution and ask for all council members to vote YES. There is not dispute that grocery stores are essential (even before the pandemic) and that it requires workers to keep them open and functioning. Oakland joins other major cities in this effort. I would like to see the resolution include an explicit right to liquidated damages and interest as Long Beach's does and is allowed for under state law for minimum wage violations. I encourage council to plan for corporate greed and pushback we are seeing in Long Beach including litigation and now Kroger plans to close 2 stores affecting hundreds of workers and all the residents that rely on those stores for access to food. What will the City do if Kroger or other corporate owners does the same in Oakland? - Allyssa Victory #Victory4Oakland
I am a resident of D3 and I fully support this initiative. I urge council to pass this and make sure it is implemented
I am a resident of District 2 in Oakland. I fully support this initiative. Grocery workers have been risking their health so that the general public can be fed. They deserve this recognition for their service.
I'm a District 2 resident and I absolutely support this. Companies who have been making increased profits during this time have a moral obligation to share them with the workers who are putting their bodies on the line during this time. These workers have always deserved increased pay and the fact that we are just now debating this is a shame. Please pass this and make Oakland a leader in supporting essential workers!
I strongly support hazard pay for grocery workers. Currently, as employees paid by the hour, any increase in pay must come with a corresponding increase in exposure to Covid-19. Further, while workers follow health and safety guidelines and requirements while at work, they have little power or leverage to enforce the same with customers who refuse to comply. Hazard pay would be a step toward compensating grocery workers for providing an essential service to our community while facing an extremely high level of risk.
I am a resident of Oakland for over 60 years and also an essential grocery worker, I strongly support this ordinance for hazard pay as we are some of the hardest hit by this pandemic and continue to put our lives on the line!
I am a resident in Oakland and strongly support this. Grocery workers are essential workers: none of us would have food on the table without them. If you are going to force them to work in person and come into contact with hundreds of people a day, the least you can do is give them hazard pay so they know they are prepared if they were to catch the virus. They deserve to be paid a living wage for the extremely stressful and important work they do.
As a resident of Oakland who has been able to work at home, remotely, since the start of the pandemic, I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am — and of how much risk grocery workers have had to take on during this period. Aside from requiring and rigorously enforcing COVID safety measures at every grocery store, the very least our city can do is to provide these truly essential workers with generous hazard pay to help compensate them for their work. An extra five dollars an hour is not very much — they deserve much more. Indeed, they have deserved much more for many years — they deserve to be paid a living wage for their labor. But now, given the extra hazard these workers are having to take on, our city should not be stingy. Please pas this measure!
I strongly support this ordinance for hazard pay for Oakland grocery workers. Large companies like Whole Foods are making record sales, while their employees are in precarious, life-threatening positions. This assistance is needed and should be passed by the Council.
My name is Maria Moreno and I'm a District 5 worker. I strongly support hazard pay for our grocery workers. If it was not for their courage and them putting their literal lives on the line, we would not have access to meet some of our most basic needs. They deserve more from us, their employers, and our system. Fair compensation is just one of many benefits they should at least get.
I strongly support this ordinance as a District 6 resident. We need to adequately value and protect our essential grocery store workers. This is a fair expectation for large grocery stores to provide.
My name is Cynthia Morfin, and I am a D3 resident. I strongly support hazard pay for grocery workers. Grocery workers are among the hardest hit directly by the pandemic, yet their compensation for their labor and their lives is unliveable especially for the Bay Area.
I'm a D2 homeowner, and I support hazard pay for Oakland grocery workers. Thanks for your consideration of this!
Absolutely support this. All the stores in question are large companies that have been making record profits. The majority of our grocery store workers come from some of the groups hardest hit by the virus, and are taking risks every day to continue to make a living and ensure we are able to get our food each day. Please pass this.
I am a D1 resident and I strongly support this measure. These workers are called essential by our politicians and our press, even on billboard ads put up by the grocery conglomerates themselves, but they aren't paid like they are essential.
They are taking enormous risks to feed the country. There is nothing more nobel and essential than that. With that extra pay, hopefully they can afford to buy themselves more effective PPE to make sure they are protected
I live IN D1 and i STRONGLY support hazard pay for all essential workers. These individuals are risky their lives under a living wage and it's despicable. We demand corporations put their money where their mouths are when they say essential workers as heroes. Working at a grocery store should not make you a martyr when corporate stores are pocketing millions. They should be compensated for the risk they take on, properly staffed and have their safety prioritized.
I am a D2 resident and I urge you to support hazard pay increases for all frontline workers, particularly grocery workers. They are critical to our community!