One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Grocers Assn. Plans To Appeal Ruling That Upheld $4-An-Hour 'Hero Pay' Raise In Long Beach
Outside an Aldi grocery store on Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach, signs read "heroes work here."
(
Megan Garvey/LAist
)
The California Grocers Association plans to appeal a judge's ruling this week to uphold a "Hero Pay" ordinance in Long Beach. The city law orders grocery stores in the city to give their workers an extra $4 dollars-an-hour during the pandemic.
Here's Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia today:
"We think that a $4 dollar-an-hour pay bump increase is very reasonable for all these grocery workers that have been working so hard. It is only temporary. So this is a four month, 120 day ordinance, and it's absolutely the right thing to do."
When the ruling was announced Thursday, Garcia tweeted:
Amazing news. We just won our lawsuit and our $4 an hour Hero Pay remains in place for grocery workers. Standing up for hardworking people is always the right thing to do. 🎉
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) February 26, 2021
The CGA argued the ordinance went against the collective bargaining process and excluded other frontline workers.
In a statement, CGA President Ron Fong said:
Sponsored message
"The Court... stated that its decision was limited. We remain confident that these extra pay ordinances will not withstand legal scrutiny."
Fong also said the CGA believed the ordinances "will result in unintended consequences like higher grocery prices for customers and store closures, which are already happening in Long Beach and which will harm grocery workers and consumers."
After the measure passed last month, Ralphs announced it would close two locations in Long Beach.
The CGA is also suing to block similar hero pay laws in Montebello and West Hollywood and has a released a study the organization commissioned on the subject.
READ MORE
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
