Grocery Store Trade Groups File a Lawsuit Against Seattle Over Mandatory Pay Raise
Two trade groups representing grocery stores in the Pacific Northwest sued the city of Seattle on Wednesday for requiring stores to increase workers’ hazard pay by $4 an hour amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the city ordinance, all large grocery stores with locations bigger than 10,000 square feet and more than 500 employees worldwide must provide the pay increase to all workers through the end of the city’s civil emergency.
“Unfortunately, the council’s unprecedented ordinance, its unilateral action, and unwillingness to work with the grocery industry has left us with no other option than to file a lawsuit against the city,” Tammie Hetrick, president and CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association, said in a statement, according to The Seattle Times.
