The Evanston City Council discussed a proposal at the Jan. 24 meeting that calls for hazard pay for grocery store workers during inclement weather and other emergency situations, revisiting the idea after a previous measure failed to pass last summer.
Ald. Devon Reid, 8th Ward, brought the new discussion to the council hoping an ordinance could be passed for future emergencies.
“We’ve found ourselves back in a predicament where we have a … concern for our frontline workers,” Reid said. “I think we should adopt this [hazard pay bill] or a version of it for future emergencies where our workers are putting themselves in increased hazard.”
A hazard pay ordinance was proposed to the City Council in May 2021 but failed on a 2-7 vote at the June 14 council meeting. The measure proposed now would require large grocery retailers to give an additional $6 per hour on top of workers’ base pay. This ordinance applies specifically to grocery store workers due to their essential nature, even in emergencies, according to terms outlined in the measure.
While the original ordinance was tied to the state-run Illinois Coronavirus Response and its phases, the new one would be broader. Reid explained that the new proposed ordinance would apply when the governor or mayor declare states of emergency, such as in snowstorms or increased COVID-19 cases.
According to city documents, the ordinance would extend to grocery retailers with 500 or more employees. Ald. Reid stressed that the ordinance would not extend to “mom and pop shops” in Evanston.
In addition to small grocers, the city has giant ones in Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Whole Foods, ALDI and Trader Joe’s. Evanston would not subsidize the additional pay, the grocers would be required to pay it all on their own.
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Evanston city attorney Nicholas Cummings explained to the council the recent litigation across the country related to hazard pay bills and the legality of such an ordinance. He said that he believed a bill in Evanston would likely be successful.
“I believe this would still be a valid ordinance, but I can’t say that with any certainty,” Cummings said. “This has not been done yet in Illinois. Although there is no law in Illinois that says that this would be an overreaching exercise of the city’s home rule authority, we have been unable to find anything definitively that says either way.”
Reid and Clare Kelly, 1st Ward, were the only two yes votes on the failed ordinance last summer.
At the Jan. 24 meeting, the proposed ordinance received mixed opinions from council members. Some believed that this was a necessity based on recent events, while others felt not enough research has been conducted.
“I think all businesses right now are suffering from the pandemic,” said Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward. “I think it’s unfair to make assumptions about any industry without having that conversation.”
Mayor Daniel Biss did not comment.
But 3rd Ward Ald. Melissa Wynne did not signal support for the proposal.
“I think we’re trying to predict the future in a way that is casting the net way too wide,” she said. “So, I would not be able to support some vague idea of what a future hazard is.”
The council voted to send the proposal to the economic development committee for further discussion and research.
Emily Little is a freelancer.