Posted on 02/01/2021 4:47:42 PM PST by Mark
Grocery company Kroger announced Monday it will be shuttering two of its stores in Long Beach — a Ralph’s location and a Food4Less store — in response to a city ordinance requiring a $4 “hero pay” salary boost for some workers.
“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,” according to a company statement. “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.
“The irreparable harm that will come to employees and local citizens as a direct result of the city of Long Beach’s attempt to pick winners and losers, is deeply unfortunate. We are truly saddened that our associates and customers will ultimately be the real victims of the city council’s actions.”
There was no was no immediate response to a request for comment from the city. Mayor Robert Garcia was a major proponent of the ordinance. Before signing the measure, he wrote on Twitter that grocery workers “have been on the front lines of this pandemic and deserve this support.”
According to Kroger, the Ralphs store at 3380 N. Los Coyotes Diagonal and the Food4Less store at 2185 E. South St. will close on April 17.
The Long Beach City Council last month gave initial approval to a law requiring large grocers to pay its workers an extra $4 an hour in “hero pay” for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The law applies to companies with 300 or more workers overall and more than 15 employees per location in Long Beach. Primis Player Placeholder
The California Grocers Association was among those opposing the ordinance, saying it would not do anything to boost the safety of workers, but could actually lead to higher costs for consumers.
According to Kroger, the company has spent $1.3 billion “to both reward associates and to implement dozens of safety measures” during the pandemic.
I know it is easy to blame Dominion and surrender to the it will never be a fair election again...and so on...but that is not the American Spirit. I believe Ronald Reagan said, comfort then, it would be a very American thing to do...
That being said, and putting the defeatist mentality aside,
Who is our bench in 2024?
My thoughts:
—DeSantis
—Noem
I am sure there are a thousand people out there not on the radar. I think Noem punches the gender identity ticket and is a reliable republican.
Odds on race: Noem/Desantis vs Harris/pick your favorite commie
Wrong thread
Never post after 36 hour of call...
> What happens when they’re closed?
The Mayor goes on NPR and cries about a “food desert”.
Or ANY government for that matter.
Too true. The employees can thank the stupidity and grandstanding of the politicians in Long Beach for losing their jobs.
If the stores comply it sets a very bad precedent. All the other workers in other company stores will want the pay and that may lead to lawsuits and other labor problems. It also means the municipality can arbitrarily promise raises for votes and a host of other problems for every business in the area. And, it it works in one municipality, it will spread like wildfire. My first job was at a grocery store. The manager told me it was a low margin business and the competition was cutthroat. Believe me, whatever their current wage was, it was competitive for the market or no one would be working there.
Absolutely the best thing to do is leave the area. This is what Lowe’s and Home Depot have done when special taxes were added that only effected them. For some customers those taxes meant an extra $20-30,000. So Lowe’s and Home Depot relocated just outside the tax district. This is what Walmart did when (I think it was Chicago) passed legislation that only effected them.
>There’s a Walmart Supercenter, a Sprouts and a Costco all within a few blocks.
I’m sure that this is comfort to those fired employees.
How many golden eggs are you going to get out of those two geese now, Long Beach???
Haha.
One Ralph’s market to close.
Where the heck is the Big Lebowski supposed to go shopping in his bathrobe? His Ralph’s card is his only form of identification.
I'm afraid you'll have to narrow it down more than that. Millions fit that description.
I heard that, too. They hope people buy made up carryout items to reheat like stew, meat loaf with potatoes and various casseroles and baked goods that produce a higher profit than most of the store aisle items.
“I’m sure that this is comfort to those fired employees.”
Only if they want to buy food. Fortunately they’ll be able to since Joe and the Ho are set to increase and extend unemployment til Sep.
Moe, the Costco is in Signal Hill, two miles away. Walmart is up in Bixby Knolls on Atlantic, three Miles away. There is a Von’s though located on PCH which is 500 yards away.
I'm sure you meant to ask what legitimate power they have. The answer to that is none, but if you don't do as they demand they have plenty of fine men in blue to enforce the city's edict. A few of them may complain about it privately, but they will bloody well do it.
If I own a store, think I can close it anytime I want.
The are the Amazon of the grocery world.
They try and run every other grocer out of business.
I’m getting....
5 minutes to Stater Foods .8 miles away. Also a Grocery Outlet same time and distance.
6 minutes to Walmart 1.9 miles away.
7 minutes to Sprouts, also 1.9 miles away.
10 minutes to Whole Foods 2.9 miles away
12 minutes to Costco (Lakewood) 4.1 miles away
That’s assuming the address given in the article is accurate.
I don’t see a Vons but it would make a 7th option.
When I lived in Belmont Shore we’d drive to the Vons over by the big traffic circle, 10 minutes, 2.6 miles from door to door.
These financially bereft leftist morons never learn. Job killing is their specialty.
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