OLYMPIA (AP) — Starting next month, large grocery stores in Olympia will be required to pay workers an additional $4 an hour in pay, the latest city in the state to enact such a requirement during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Olympian reported that the Olympia City Council unanimously passed the ordinance Tuesday. The hazard pay requirement takes effect on May 1, and lasts as long as Washington is under a state of emergency as declared by the governor, with the opportunity to revisit the policy in four months. It applies to grocery stores with more than 250 employees. Farmers markets and convenience stores are excluded from the requirement, and an amendment approved by council also excludes truck drivers and corporate office staff.
“Olympia residents want Olympia to be a leader in wage equity and a leader in workplace safety, and this is a small ask in my opinion,” said council member Jim Cooper, who estimated it could affect about 450 workers citywide.
The city of Seattle passed a similar ordinance in January, and the cities of Burien and Edmonds have also required hazard pay for grocery workers.
