Southern CA city officials in Long Beach are not the ones who will suffer.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Kroger Closes 2 Stores in California City That Required ‘Hero Pay’


Grocery chain Kroger said it closed down two California stores Saturday after the Long Beach City Council approved a COVID-19-related “hero pay” ordinance that increased wages by $4 per hour.

The pay increase, mandated in January, was for workers who were employed at pharmacies and retail stores with 300 or more employees in the Southern California city.

The move was announced earlier this year, but the Ralph’s and Food 4 Less—both operated by Kroger—were shut down on April 17, employees told local media outlets.

“As a result of the City of Long Beach’s decision to pass an ordinance mandating Extra Pay for grocery workers, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close long-struggling store locations in Long Beach,” said a spokesperson for Kroger several weeks ago. “This misguided action by the Long Beach City Council oversteps the traditional bargaining process and applies to some, but not all, grocery workers in the city.”

Last month, Kroger also announced it would close down three stores—two Ralphs and one Food 4 Less—in nearby Los Angeles, which passed its own $5-per-hour “hero pay” boost to workers amid the pandemic.

hazard pay
Robert Gonzales, Kroger employee for 26 years, addresses a crowd of supermarket workers gathered to protest in front of a Food 4 Less supermarket in Long Beach, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Kroger, in a statement, said they were “underperforming stores,” while maintaining that the extra cost of temporary hazard pay made it impossible to operate.

“The hero pay mandate in Los Angeles mandate will add an additional $20 million in operating costs over the next 120 days, making it financially unsustainable to continue operating the three underperforming locations,” the firm said. “Despite our efforts to overcome the challenges we were already facing at these locations, the extra pay mandate makes it impossible to run a financially sustainable business that ensures our ability to continue serving the Los Angeles community at those three locations with reliable access to affordable, fresh groceries and other essentials.”

It added, “We are proud of our role as a leading employer in Los Angeles and remain committed to our dedicated associates on the frontlines serving in our 65 other area locations.”

“Hero pay” mandates have also been passed in several other Southern California cities, including Coachella, Montebello, and Irvine.

Last week, two Los Angeles City Council members introduced a motion to investigate Kroger’s decision to close several of its stores in the city.

“The city has an interest in considering whether it should take legislative action to address these closures and potentially future closures of other grocery stores especially in areas of the city that are commonly known as Food Deserts,” the motion introduced by Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Paul Koretz, both Democrats, reads.

The Epoch Times has contacted Kroger for comment.

“The city has an interest in considering whether it should take legislative action to address these closures and potentially future closures of other grocery stores especially in areas of the city that are commonly known as Food Deserts,” the motion introduced by Councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Paul Koretz, both Democrats, reads.



Just what do these stupid sonsabitches think they can do about it?

So not only do they not get the hero pay, they don't even get their regular pay because they now have no job. Government helping out as usual. I wonder how well the nationwide $15 minimum wage will work out?

Ms Thatcher said something to the effect about the problem with socialism is what do you do when you run out of everybody else's money? Close your stores? Maybe there is something real that comes in, off the Pacific Ocean, like stupid dust. And it lands on Kalifornia before it can hit farther east?!? Asking for a friend. Be Well, RZ.

The left wing do-right-daddies and do-right-mommas strike yet again. Unintended consequences are beyond any of their brains to consider.

L.W.

The communist DA in San Francisco announced awhile back that he would not prosecute any theft (including shoplifting) of less than $900.

Walmart has closed all 10 of its stores in San Francisco as a result.

No stupid dust needed when you have stupid politicians. Democrats run CA, and I'm just waiting for similar stupidity in my own state of WA.

I wonder if they polled all the "hero" cashiers if they would rather keep their job at their current pay or lose their job at the new pay. In Cali it'll be corporate America's fault and not the politicians' though. Corporate America is the devil, except of course the billionaires in Silicon Valley, who have the commies' backs.

They will NEVER run out of stupid in Kommiefornia.

So the .gov thinks they’ll sue, force them to stay open, and tack on $4/hour.


Kroger got a different kind of woke.

You cannot legislate prosperity, no matter how hard you try. The results are always the same. I am curious how many of them that lost their jobs are now whooping it up on unemployment in perpetuity.

Probably not as many as you might think. Otherwise, they probably would have walked away 10 months ago saying "they don't feel safe at work". I bet a lot of those folks go to work everyday because they're happy to have a job.

100% Jake.

America still has a lot of people thgat will work, and wasnt to.

On one hand this law was stupid.

On the other side we have the unquestioned unemployment and
the $3-600/wk bonus for not working.

This is a low wage area, and I know quite a few people that would be
better having not worked for the last year. But most of them sat out
King Wolf's shutdown, made big (for them) money at home, and went right
back to their jobs at $8-12/hr.

Holy schidt! $4 an hour would be a GIGANTIC hit!

Stupid fuggers!

Reminds of MLB with the Allstar game as well as AOC and Amazon.

It's hilarious they are going to investigate. What? Krogers is so huge it should just take the hit because "We're all in this together!"???? Says so on the sign out front.

How's that workin out for ya?

So a city is going after a business it encouraged to close.
How does that work?

"We aren't making money here, we are closing."

"You have to stay open."


"Yeah, really? Or what?
You gonna pull our license for other stores?
Remember how big we are, we don't NEED ANY stores in your [bleep]!"

I guess I should stop thinking regionally. Around here a place like M&P Utilities can't find people to show up for work with a $28.00 an hour starting wage for general laborers.

Have you read the latest that our sterling legislature did - no more gas powered "light duty" vehicles will be registered after 2030. Strictly all electric. I am going to get out of this clown car before too much longer.

I can tell you this. The Neighborhood Walmart by my house has been open through the entire pandemic and has not laid off anybody that I know of and I know a of people there. I talk to them frequently, sometimes about their jobs and know many by their first names. I have yet to find one person that is not happy as a lark to be working.

I doubt that KA commie schit would play well here.

I looked for this online and couldn’t find it. Can you post a link?

i think the stores themselves should have taken the initiative. they made a fricken killing the past year. i give a lot of credit to those who worked retail under these conditions. but having the govt mandate it is way out of line. typical california/socialist horschit.

sounds like another illegal taking of private property by government. 4th Amendment stuff

Some voters are stupid. Just hope they never come here, and can maintain contraception.

This is a good story. I love it when Dumbocrats get their azz's handed to them.

Stories like this in one form or fashion are going to be the norm . Through one gvt mandate or another or taxes, they are killing the country.

These fugking liberals crack me up . Who tha fugk do these government “officials”think they are trying to delegate schidt in that real world. Fugking clowns

This was a law passed in California, Prop. 47 in 2014 I believe. The way the dumbasses wrote the bill was anything less than $950 was a misdemeanor. They had to revise the law when the same dumbasses realized that there are lots of guns that sell for way under $950. So for a short time stealing a gun here was a misdemeanor.

I think Long Beach should open their own stores and pay hero pay. The plandemic is winding down here and now there are no stores and all those people are out of work. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the city employees start their contract negotiations. For the record they didn't give any public employees hero pay.

No link because I heard it on the radio.

But think about it this way, that $4 would buy 1/3rd of a Allstar game warm beer at a commie hosting state of your choice.

The story is probably true. The company closed some stores in Seattle after they mandated a minimum wage increase. Similar story.

Relax guys.

The stimulus checks and COVTARD shots were free.

Democrats are dismantling America one bolt at a time. Take away our jobs, our food & our weapons.... Smells like rebellion to me. But alas, California keeps voting Demonrat and wonder why their state is suffocating 🤔

When the Civil goes hot ,the Democrats will start giving out free food to the #frontline heroes

Oh, the irony.

The store must pay extry.

Store says fugk and no.

Workers out of jobs. Collecting unemployment that the store is no longer contributing to. City no longer getting sales tax from those stores. Soon to not get property tax either.

Brilliant strategic move! LMAO.

Liberal math in action.

Antifa and BLM are hiring protesters.

Not doing the $4 extra "Hero Pay"...

But you do get to keep all of the Nikes that you can loot.

Now all their employees are making even more than that on unemployment. They probably wouldn't come back if they reopen.

Bb

My wife's uncle was a city manager in California. He retired with a huge pension and built a 3 million dollar home in Utah.

Bb

The same thing Democrats always “Do About It”.

Step (1), Create a solution for a non-existent problem
Step (2), make sure this “solution” is a complete failure and people suffer because of it
Step (3), Use this failed solution to blame others, usually Republicans or Those Evil Corporations, thus getting the public all riled up.
Step (4), use the problem they created as campaign fodder for the next century.

Seems that we are at Step 3 already as those most affected are protesting in front of the store and not the city council.

These people are not stupid, they are masters of manipulation.

How murch dollas do dey get at da Popeyes?

#bangbangshootemup

$4 an hour is $32 a day for full time employees. That makes $160 a week and at least $640 a month. The hazard pay for the military is only $150 a month and that is to be in the combat zone. Just Sayin....

Y'all just keep paying your taxes... or this democratic nirvana wet dream will end prematurely.

Fry cook operator at PopEyes = TRUE HERO

Business's should initiate a movement to slash the city council's pay.

DEFUND THE CITY COUNCIL

When the Progressives go to University, it's seems the attend all the glory feel good classes, Feminism , communism, human sexuality and city organization/ indoctrination.. But they fail to Attend a single basic Economics class...........

Believe it or not there is a state law that makes shoplifting of less than $960 a misdemeanor! That stupid DA refused to prosecute misdemeanors so the homeless are free to go shopping without money. I have noticed that the homeless have better clothes, new tents and sleeping bags. Isn’t it great how progressive fascists can help the homeless!