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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

 

Rounding out a rather busy month, I wanted to take a moment to look back at two big events that have been evolving over the past few week.  Readers might have seen hazard/hero pay become a major talking point in some circles as local ordinances have recently been passed requiring additional pay for certain front line workers...much to the chagrin of employers.  On the other side of the coin, a union election underway at an Amazon location in Alabama has started to garner attention given the increased scrutiny it has received.  However, the noticeable silence by one major political figure has caught the eye of some observers.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Protests Arise Over Long Beach Grocery Store Closures

A few weeks ago, the Long Beach City Council enacted an ordinance that will require large grocery stores in the area to pay their employees an additional $4/hour as a result of working during the coronavirus pandemic.  Around that same time that this ordinance was approved, Krogers announced it would be closing several Long Beach locations.  Despite criticism of the timing of this announcement, Krogers stated the announced closures had nothing to do with the City Council’s ordinance but instead because of the stores being underperforming.  As Crystal Niebla at The Long Beach Post News reports, a few protests have recently started urging customers in the area to boycott these stores on the grounds that they are being closed as a direct result of not wanting to comply with the City Council’s ordinance.


As Alabama Amazon Union Election Gets Underway, White House Stays Relatively Silent

With a union election underway at an Bessemer, Alabama Amazon location, many eyes have turned to how the election will play out given Amazon’s prior successful efforts to keep unions out of its U.S. locations.  As some might recall, despite Amazon’s request to conduct the election in person or to delay it until it was safe to do so, that request was denied and a mail in election was authorized.  Therefore, eligible employees at this Alabama location have a ballot deadline of March 29th to submit their preference on whether to unionize.  While some politicians have voiced their support for unionization efforts, there has been noticeable silence from the White House.  This decision to stay relatively removed from the process has surprised some as President Joe Biden had campaigned on a promise to be a friend to unions if he were elected.  Although there is still time for President Biden to jump into the fray, his decision to stay removed is noticeable.

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