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Seattle City Council votes to end hazard pay for grocery store workers

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council on Tuesday has voted 5-2 to end hazard pay for grocery store workers.

Councilmembers Tammy J. Morales and Kshama Sawant opposed ending the pay.

Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Teresa Mosqueda were absent during the vote.

The end to the extra $4 per hour workers are receiving takes effect 30 days after the legislation is approved by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

In January 2021, the council voted unanimously to approve legislation that would provide hazard play to grocery store workers during the pandemic. The measure applied to grocery stores with at least 500 workers, paying frontline employees an extra $4 per hour.

In January 2022, the council declined to override former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s December 2021 veto after the council had voted unanimously to repeal the hazard pay.