$4 pay increase for grocery workers in Seattle...

[AnnieW625]

But that is not what these bills are about - not at all.

They are only targeting a narrow market segment and only "large" businesses. They are also not talking about a minimum wage increase (in places where the minimum wage is already 2x the requirement), but a forced raise regardless of the current pay.

Not surprising that a company would not want to do business in a place that wants to give an unfair advantage to their competition.

Fair pay and minimum wage increases are completely separate topics. This is just a headline grabber.

I whole heartedly agree with this. Minimum wage in LA City and Unincorporated LA County with 26 or more employees is $15 an hour where as federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour; with less than 26 employees it is $14.25/hr. . California minimum wage is $12/hr. . Seattle’s minimum wage is $16.69 an hour. A California grocery store checker who has chosen this line of work (probably in their late teens or early 20s or who knows later on in life and is a member of UFCWI) and is now in their mid forties is most likely making an absolute minimum of $17 an hour before hero pay before overtime (time and a half: $25.50/hr. or required holiday pay to work on Thanksgiving or Easter (double pay): $34/hr.) will make $35,360 if they work at least 40 hours a week. Now add in overtime and holiday pay there is a good chance that the earnings will jump to $50,000 a year. $21 after the $4/hr. hero pay brings non overtime yearly pay to $43,680; add in ot and holiday pay and you are looking at close to $60,000 in pay. A grocery store manager average range starts at $79,000 on the low end and the high end tops out at $101,000. I am a govt. employee with a bachelors degree and 21 years experience and I make just about the same as a low end grocery manager. If you work at Costco you will most likely make even more. It is grueling job no doubt, but I have friends from my work whose former careers were at grocery stores and they said it was the best career choice in terms of flexibility for raising young kids. Most of my moms friends who weren’t teachers and had kids as well said the same thing so they decided that working at a grocery or department store for pay and the benefits was an okay gig to supplement income or to provide for their family as best as they could as a single parent.


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[Kestrel]

OP here. Friend mentioned in first post did, in fact, get hours cut 20%, but was not among those laid off.

AnnieW625, while some things you mention are true, the majority of grocery store workers are not full time, and many do not get benefits at all. This is of course my experience, but I was one for many years (now out of work due to Covid). The base pay of $35k or so for full time is about right, but I have never in my many years there seen anything remotely close to $15k a year in overtime/holiday. Isn't that something like 750/year, 60/month hours of overtime? Are there companies that do that? At least at the large company I worked for, any week with a paid holiday would have full timers only work 4 days, so they have to pay less money. (The part timers would then be given more hours that week.) I worked full time for over ten consecutive years at one place, and never made $40k.
Don't forget that grocery is a very narrow profit margin. They are always looking for reasons to reduce hours &/or send folks home early. Even for full timers, very seldom do we ever really get to work 40 hours, even if scheduled that way.