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File Number: 21-439 <br />safety, as well as economic and national security;” and <br />WHEREAS, on March 24, 2020, in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, Alameda <br />County’s Public Health Officer issued the “Safer at Home” Order to control the spread of <br />COVID-19 by closing all non-essential workplaces, requiring people to stay home except to <br />participate in essential activities or to provide essential business services, and banning all <br />gatherings for social, spiritual, and recreational purposes. In addition to healthcare, public health <br />and emergency services, the “Safer at Home” Order identified grocery stores as essential <br />businesses critical to protecting the health and well-being of all Californians and designated their <br />workers as essential critical infrastructure workers; and <br />WHEREAS, the “Safer at Home” and “Stay Home - Stay Healthy” restriction remained in <br />effect, in some form, throughout 2020 and the first few months of 2021; and <br />WHEREAS, grocery workers working for grocery stores are essential workers who <br />perform services that are fundamental to the economy and health of the community during the <br />COVID-19 crisis. They work in high risk conditions with inconsistent access to personal protective <br />equipment and other safety measures; work in public situations with limited ability to engage in <br />physical distancing; and continually expose themselves and the public to the spread of disease; <br />and <br />WHEREAS, premium pay, paid in addition to regular wages, is an established type of <br />compensation for employees performing hazardous duty or work involving physical hardship that <br />can cause extreme physical discomfort and distress; and <br />WHEREAS, grocery workers working during the COVID-19 emergency merit additional <br />compensation because they are performing hazardous duty due to the significant risk of exposure <br />to the COVID-19 virus. Grocery workers have been working under these hazardous conditions for <br />months. They are working in these hazardous conditions now and will continue to face safety risks <br />as the virus presents an ongoing threat for an uncertain period, potentially resulting in subsequent <br />waves of infection; and <br />WHEREAS, the availability of grocery stores is fundamental to the health of the community <br />and is made possible during the COVID-19 emergency because grocery workers are on the <br />frontlines of the pandemic supporting public health, safety, and welfare by working in hazardous <br />conditions; and <br />WHEREAS, on February 16, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2021-001, <br />which was an urgency ordinance establishing an immediate requirement for grocery stores to <br />provide premium pay, also known as “hazard pay”, to grocery workers, to compensate for the <br />substantial risks, efforts, and expenses they are undertaking to provide essential services in a <br />safe and reliable manner during the COVID-19 emergency; and <br />WHEREAS, on March 1, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2021-002, which <br />was a regular ordinance establishing a requirement for grocery stores to provide hazard pay to <br />grocery workers; and <br />WHEREAS, the ordinances requires large grocery stores to provide hazard pay until the later <br />of 120 days from the effective date of the ordinances, the date the City reaches the Minimal <br />(yellow) tier under the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, or such time as all Covered <br />Employees, as defined in the ordinances, are vaccinated, excluding those Covered Employees <br />who are prevented from receipt of vaccination by disability or sincerely held religious beliefs; and <br /> WHEREAS, California has made significant progress in fighting the spread of COVID-19, <br />and case rates have decreased in recent months; and <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 7/1/2021 <br />1374