Millbrae adopts store worker hazard pay

Noting the boom in revenue that grocery and drugstore chains have enjoyed during the pandemic, Councilwoman Gina Papan suggested they would be easily able to afford paying more to workers facing exposure to COVID-19.

“It’s for the benefit of not only our residents but the workers that have been on the front line since the beginning,” said Papan.

With the decision, Millbrae joins San Mateo, South San Francisco and Daly City as local cities where the hazard pay increase will be required.

Stores with 750 or more employees would be affected. In Millbrae, officials anticipated it will only affect four franchises — Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Lucky’s and Walgreens, which has two locations in the city.

Trader Joe’s and Lucky’s have already offered workers hazard pay increases, and therefore will be only obligated to pay any difference between the raise amounts previously granted and the $5 per hour hike mandated by officials.

Officials appreciated the aggressive approach of some stores, while wishing more had taken similar steps so that intervention wouldn’t be necessary.

“It’s unfortunate we don’t have the volunteers that are already doing this,” said Vice Mayor Anne Oliva.

Similarly, Councilman Reuben Holober said he wished Board of Supervisors had mandated the raise across the county, so that the obligation wouldn’t have fallen to city officials.

But with surrounding cities already adopting the raise, Holober suggested Millbrae officials had little say in the matter.

“We don’t want our workers making less than neighboring cities,” he said.

The decision was backed by a bevy of labor union representatives who favored the hazard pay proposal. And officials noted that the grocery industry has largely opposed similar moves throughout the state, but with little legal precedent signaling the court’s position on the matter, Millbrae’s city attorney could not offer clear advice on the risk associated with the decision.

City Attorney Michael Conneran noted that officials have some flexibility to adjust the amount of time that the mandate is effective though. As it stands, the raises will be required for 120 days from when they were approved.

“This is a temporary ordinance and this is something we need to do,” said Papan.

Beyond the hazard pay increase, officials also required that employers pay for the time that employees must take off of work to go get vaccinated.

For his part, Councilman Anders Fung said he believed the pay hike is necessary to protect those Millbrae residents and community members who have had to work through the pandemic to assure everyone else is accommodated.

“During this time, we must show compassion to our working-class families,” he said.

What’s more, Fung said he believed those who have worked on the front lines of grocery stores and pharmacies during deserve additional compensation for the risk they take on each day.

“They keep us alive. They keep us healthy and fed during this pandemic. And they put their own health on the line while doing that,” he said. “And so we really should have done this a long time ago.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com