CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to employment in Seattle; establishing labor standards requirements for additional compensation for grocery employees working in Seattle; amending Sections 3.02.125 and 6.208.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; declaring an emergency; and establishing an immediate effective date; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
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WHEREAS, the new coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) disease is caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person and may result in serious illness or death, and is classified by the World Health Organization as a worldwide pandemic; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 has broadly spread throughout Washington State and remains a significant health risk to the community, especially members of our most vulnerable populations; and
WHEREAS, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program has reported that the United States' top retail companies, including grocery businesses, have earned record-breaking profits during the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, grocery employees have been supporting grocery businesses' operations and facilitating community access to food during the pandemic, despite facing a clear and present danger of workplace exposure to COVID-19 and receiving limited or inconsistent additional pay in recognition of this hazard; and
WHEREAS, the dangers of working during the pandemic are especially significant for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) employees who are overrepresented among the retail frontline workforce and who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, establishing a requirement for grocery employees to receive hazard pay for work performed in Seattle during the COVID-19 emergency will promote job retention, compensate them for the risks of working on the frontlines of a global pandemic, improve their financial ability to access resources for protecting themselves and their families from catching or spreading the virus o...
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