On February 26, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued an administrative complaint and authorized a lawsuit in federal court to block Kroger Company’s proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of the Albertsons Companies,...more
Effective January 1, 2024, California’s Assembly Bill 647 will expand recall rights for grocery workers when there is a change of control in a grocery establishment. Prior to AB 647, existing law required an incumbent grocery...more
It is perhaps not a surprise to anyone familiar with e-commerce and the corresponding infrastructure that was developed to deliver all those packages, but according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),...more
On January 23, 2023, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled that a group of former employees had not shown that a grocery store chain unlawfully retaliated against them for opposing a dress code policy that prohibited the...more
On August 2, 2022, the Seattle City Council voted to repeal the city’s $4 per hour COVID-19 pandemic “hazard pay” requirements related to grocery employees. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell approved the measure the next...more
Does an employee have the right to a jury trial in a PAGA suit? Not according to a recent California appellate panel decision in a suit brought by a cashier at Ralphs Grocery Company....more
In Railey v. Sunset Food Mart, Inc., -- F.4th --, No. 21-2533, 2021 WL 4808222 (7th Cir. Oct. 15, 2021), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s order remanding a class action asserting...more
"The overwhelming majority of courts have concluded that neither COVID-19 nor the governmental orders associated with it cause or constitute property loss or damage for purposes of insurance coverage." So concluded the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: During the COVID-19 pandemic, California grocery, drug store, and other front-line workers have continued to sell essential products, stock shelves, clean buildings, and otherwise keep our economy moving....more
On March 9, 2021, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the COVID-Related Hazard Pay Ordinance, which became effective March 22, 2021....more
On March 16, 2021, the City Council of Costa Mesa, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for retail grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Costa Mesa is a large city in Orange...more
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved San Francisco’s COVID Related Hazard Pay Emergency Ordinance, which temporarily requires large grocery and retail pharmacy stores, like drug stores, and the...more
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of San Mateo, California, adopted “An Emergency Ordinance Requiring Large Grocery Stores and Large Drugstores to Provide Hazard Pay to their Employees” to ease the burdens caused by the...more
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of Pomona, California, passed an ordinance that establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona is an incorporated city located in Los Angeles County and...more
On March 2, 2021, the City Council of Santa Ana, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for grocery and retail pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange...more
A growing number of cities in California, including Oakland, Long Beach, Montebello, West Hollywood and San Leandro, have recently enacted ordinances requiring large grocery and/or drug stores to pay specified workers premium...more
On February 25, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction brought by the California Grocers Association (CGA) against the City of Long Beach. In California...more
Starting Monday, grocery stores, drug stores and big box retailers in the City of Los Angeles will be required to pay “Premium Hazard Pay” – an additional $5.00 per hour — to non-exempt employees. The ordinance mandating the...more
On February 24, 2021, the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-1 to pass an ordinance mandating that employers provide $5/hour in additional premium hazard pay for on-site grocery and drug retail workers. The ordinance is...more
Despite the California Grocers Association lawsuits pending against four cities over hero pay ordinances, more cities and counties have passed or are considering premium pay ordinances for grocery store and similar workers....more
On February 16, 2021, the City Council of San Leandro, California, passed an ordinance titled “Retail Food Worker Hazard Pay Ordinance,” which establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. San...more
On February 23, 2021, the City Council of Irvine, California, passed a hero pay ordinance entitling retail grocery store and drug store workers premium pay for hours worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Irvine is located in...more
On February 23, 2021, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to institute a $5 per hour “Hero Pay” increase for frontline grocery workers and drug retailers in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The...more
On February 3, 2021, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed into law a new ordinance requiring grocery employers to provide their employees an additional $4.00/hour in hazard pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The law went into...more
On February 2, 2021, the City Council of Oakland, California, passed the “Grocery Worker Hazard Pay Emergency Ordinance” to provide a boost in pay for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oakland is located in...more