Ord 2021-002 Require Grocery Stores to pay additional Five Dollars an hour

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WHEREAS, on March 19, 2020, the California State Public Health Officer designated specific sectors and their workers, including grocery stores, as Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers ("essential workers") to ensure the "continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security;" and WHEREAS, grocery stores are essential businesses operating in San Leandro during the COVID-19 emergency making grocery workers highly vulnerable to economic insecurity and health or safety risks; and WHEREAS, on March 24, 2020, in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, Alameda County's Public Health Officer issued the "Safer at Home" Order to control the spread of COVID-19 by closing all non -essential workplaces, requiring people to stay home except to participate in essential activities or to provide essential business services, and banning all gatherings for social, spiritual, and recreational purposes. In addition to healthcare, public health and emergency services, the "Safer at Home" Order identified grocery stores as essential business sectors critical to protecting the health and well-being of all Californians and designated their workers as essential critical infrastructure workers; and WHEREAS, on December 3, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom extended the "Stay Home - Stay Healthy" proclamation; and WHEREAS, on December 3, 2020, in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 within the County of Alameda, the Alameda County Health Department extended the "Safer at Home" Order to control the effects and spread of COVID-19; and WHEREAS, on January 17, 2021, the California Department of Public Health reported another COVID-19 variant that had grown more common across the state since December, with worrisome signs that this variant may be highly transmissible; and WHEREAS, on February 3, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that there was a California or West Coast variant of COVID-19 that had grown more common across the state; and WHEREAS, as of February 4, 2021, the County of Alameda reported 75,175 case of COVID-19, including 1,021 deaths; and WHEREAS, grocery workers working for grocery stores are essential workers who perform services that are fundamental to the economy and health of the community during the COVID-19 crisis. They work in high risk conditions with inconsistent access to personal protective equipment and other safety measures; work in public situations with limited ability to engage in physical distancing; and continually expose themselves and the public to the spread of disease; and WHEREAS, premium pay, paid in addition to regular wages, is an established type of compensation for employees performing hazardous duty or work involving physical hardship that can cause extreme physical discomfort and distress; and ORDINANCE NO. 2021-002