Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, August 03, 2021
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION NO. 21-101 TO RESCIND RESOLUTION NO. 21-088, WHICH ESTABLISHED HERO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN THE CITY OF CARSON (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
At the beginning of the pandemic, many retail companies provided extra COVID-19 related compensation to their workers. This bonus, commonly known as "Hero Pay," was often implemented as a temporary hourly wage increase or a one-off bonus for essential workers. Several cities have passed "Hero Pay" ordinances. Most of these ordinances apply to large grocery or retail stores that employ more than 300 people nationally and have more than 10 employees in the city. Although all of the ordinances apply to grocery store workers, some are broader and apply to pharmacies, agricultural laborers, and other retail workers. The temporary Hero Pay mostly provided for pay during the surge in COVID-19 cases, as most ordinances were applicable from February to July 2021.
On July 6, 2021, the City Council considered establishing a similar Hero Pay program in the City of Carson whereby large grocery stores and other establishments selling groceries and retail pharmacies with more than 300 employees nationally and 10 or more employees at a site in Carson could voluntarily provide for Hero Pay for their non-management essential workers in the amount of $4 per hour, in addition to an employee's base pay. Such Hero Pay would be applicable retroactively during the surge of COVID-19 cases in the City of Carson, which occurred between December 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021. After a full discussion, the City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 21-088 establishing the Hero Pay program.
Two weeks after Resolution No. 21-088 was adopted, the City Council further considered the policy implications of the Hero Pay program, which could result in the closure of the City's grocery stores and limit the ability of the labor unions...
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