In a major shift for Seattle’s essential workers, the Seattle Office of Labor Standards announced the expiration of several temporary COVID-19 ordinances designed to support grocery and gig workers during the pandemic. Among the ordinances that have ceased are the Grocery Employee Hazard Pay and two gig worker protections—Paid Sick and Safe Time, and Premium Pay. Now expired, these temporary measures helped nearly 82,000 workers, with the OLS redistributing more than $18.7 million in remedies, as per a statement obtained by Seattle.gov.
While these specific ordinances are no longer in effect after the city’s response to the COVID-19 civil emergency, Seattle City Council responded by creating permanent protections, including the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance and the App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. In result of the OLS’s enforcement, companies were investigated, yielding substantial financial remedies for affected workers. And to fill the gap left by the expiration, new permanent measures promise continued support for an essential segment of the workforce that put themselves at risk during the health crisis.
According to the Seattle.gov report, the Grocery Employee Hazard Pay (GEHP) Ordinance was one component that ensured an additional $4 per hour for grocery employees from February 3, 2021, to September 1, 2022. During this period, OLS managed to return $391,089.53 to 216 impacted workers. On the gig worker side, the Paid Sick and Safe Time (GWPSST) Ordinance mandated that Food Delivery Network Companies and Transportation Network Companies cater to PSST accruals for gig workers from July 13, 2020, to April 30, 2023…