Kroger Co. will close two supermarkets in Southern California in response to a local ordinance requiring extra pay for certain grocery employees working during the pandemic.
The decision announced by the company Monday follows a unanimous vote last month by the Long Beach City Council mandating a 120-day increase of $4 an hour for employees of supermarkets with at least 300 employees nationwide and more than 15 in Long Beach.
Kroger said it will close a Ralphs market and a Food 4 Less on April 17.
Congratulations, Long Beach California!!! YOU are driving businesses away by mandating extra pay for no reason.
It's even more stupid as Costco and Fred Meyer (Kroger) already have been paying a $2.00hr covid "hero" pay increase. Source fam who work there.
Not in my state. They did for about the first month or two. Then a onetime bonus after that. Kroger is union, but I imagine they argue for different things in different areas. I don’t work for Kroger, but for a subsidiary to them specifically that matches everything they do. (Like a contractor, basically)
Ah, ok. Yeah, they all seem to have some regional autonomy.