What is Hero Pay?
Hero Pay is an ordinance that requires a $5/hour increase in wages for grocery and pharmacy workers for a 120 day period. It is also commonly referred to as “Hazard Pay” as it provides compensation above base pay to essential workers who have been working in high-risk conditions since the onset of the pandemic. Most grocery and drug retail workers make close to minimum wage and work part-time. Five dollars is a minimum amount of money to validate and incentivize coming to work in very hazardous working conditions.
Why grocery and pharmacy workers?
Hero Pay focuses on grocery and pharmacy workers because they have endured some of the highest rates of infection due to the closure of restaurants, high volumes of customers, and lack of ventilation inside stores. Thousands have become infected and have not had the capacity to quarantine or shelter in place. Almost all of them never received on-site testing. Their union had to provide proper PPE in the beginning. More than half of infections occurred in December and January. They received “hero pay” at the beginning of the pandemic, but had it taken away only six weeks later before the second and third surges. Access to the vaccine is barely coming online now with limited supplies for LA County.
What businesses are impacted by Hero Pay?
This policy only affects larger grocery and pharmacy retail chains that have seen record profit due to the pandemic. These stores are defined as having 300 or more employees and 10 or more on-site. Hero Pay does not impact small businesses.
In Pasadena, 37 stores would be mandated to adhere to Hero Pay under a local ordinance. Those include Bevmo, Food 4 Less, Pavilions, Ralphs, Smart and Final, Sprouts, Stater Brothers, Target, Total Wine & More, Trader Joes, Vallarta Supermarket, Vons, Whole Food Market, CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.
Can these businesses afford Hero Pay?
Companies such as Amazon (owner of Whole Foods), Kroger (owner of Ralphs and Food for Less), Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons, Vallarta, and Bodega Latina (owner of El Super) have all earned some of the highest profit margins of any year. According to the nonpartisan research firm, the Brookings Institute, 13 of the largest retail and grocery companies earned an additional $17.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to 2019—a striking 42% increase. The gap between pandemic profits and pandemic pay is especially striking at the country’s three largest grocery providers: Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons. Together, the three companies earned an additional $6.8 billion in profit in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to 2019—an average increase of 98%.
Why is Hero Pay important?
A disproportionate number of people of color and women are essential workers, including those who work in grocery and pharmacy retail. These essential workers are also disproportionally impacted by COVID. Hero Pay offers economic relief to those who have served our community during the pandemic. The increase in wages also helps stimulate the local economies as workers have more spending power.
What other cities have Hero Pay?
Cities that have passed Hero Pay include the City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles County (unincorporated); Montebello; West Hollywood; Long Beach; Irvine; Buena Park; Pomona; Oakland; Coachella; Berkeley; San Mateo; Seattle; San Jose; Costa Mesa.
Cities that are moving to pass Hero Pay: Glendale, Santa Monica; Alhambra; El Monte; South Pasadena; Palm Springs; Alameda; Santa Ana; San Francisco; San Diego.
Hero Pay is an ordinance that requires a $5/hour increase in wages for grocery and pharmacy workers for a 120 day period. It is also commonly referred to as “Hazard Pay” as it provides compensation above base pay to essential workers who have been working in high-risk conditions since the onset of the pandemic. Most grocery and drug retail workers make close to minimum wage and work part-time. Five dollars is a minimum amount of money to validate and incentivize coming to work in very hazardous working conditions.
Why grocery and pharmacy workers?
Hero Pay focuses on grocery and pharmacy workers because they have endured some of the highest rates of infection due to the closure of restaurants, high volumes of customers, and lack of ventilation inside stores. Thousands have become infected and have not had the capacity to quarantine or shelter in place. Almost all of them never received on-site testing. Their union had to provide proper PPE in the beginning. More than half of infections occurred in December and January. They received “hero pay” at the beginning of the pandemic, but had it taken away only six weeks later before the second and third surges. Access to the vaccine is barely coming online now with limited supplies for LA County.
What businesses are impacted by Hero Pay?
This policy only affects larger grocery and pharmacy retail chains that have seen record profit due to the pandemic. These stores are defined as having 300 or more employees and 10 or more on-site. Hero Pay does not impact small businesses.
In Pasadena, 37 stores would be mandated to adhere to Hero Pay under a local ordinance. Those include Bevmo, Food 4 Less, Pavilions, Ralphs, Smart and Final, Sprouts, Stater Brothers, Target, Total Wine & More, Trader Joes, Vallarta Supermarket, Vons, Whole Food Market, CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.
Can these businesses afford Hero Pay?
Companies such as Amazon (owner of Whole Foods), Kroger (owner of Ralphs and Food for Less), Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons, Vallarta, and Bodega Latina (owner of El Super) have all earned some of the highest profit margins of any year. According to the nonpartisan research firm, the Brookings Institute, 13 of the largest retail and grocery companies earned an additional $17.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to 2019—a striking 42% increase. The gap between pandemic profits and pandemic pay is especially striking at the country’s three largest grocery providers: Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons. Together, the three companies earned an additional $6.8 billion in profit in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to 2019—an average increase of 98%.
Why is Hero Pay important?
A disproportionate number of people of color and women are essential workers, including those who work in grocery and pharmacy retail. These essential workers are also disproportionally impacted by COVID. Hero Pay offers economic relief to those who have served our community during the pandemic. The increase in wages also helps stimulate the local economies as workers have more spending power.
What other cities have Hero Pay?
Cities that have passed Hero Pay include the City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles County (unincorporated); Montebello; West Hollywood; Long Beach; Irvine; Buena Park; Pomona; Oakland; Coachella; Berkeley; San Mateo; Seattle; San Jose; Costa Mesa.
Cities that are moving to pass Hero Pay: Glendale, Santa Monica; Alhambra; El Monte; South Pasadena; Palm Springs; Alameda; Santa Ana; San Francisco; San Diego.