The Seattle City Council voted Tuesday to extend the $4 “Hazzard Pay” for grocery workers despite the negative effect it has had on jobs and businesses in the last 12 months.

Earlier in 2021, Quality Food Centers (QFC) closed two of its stores in Seattle as a direct result of the Seattle City Council passing the original “Hazzard Pay” mandated wage increase in January 2021. Given the razor thin profit margins grocery stores typically have, it is not surprising QFC took the steps to close the stores and answers the question the Washington Policy Center posed earlier – “Did Seattle go too far with its over-regulation of business?” The answer, unfortunately, is yes.

The ordinance, originally described as a temporary measure when it passed by the Seattle City Council in 2021, applies to grocery stores that have more than 500 employees and stores that are over 10,000 square feet. It mandates a $4-an-hour increase for each employee while Seattle is under a declared civil emergency.

A lawsuit from the Northwest Grocery Association (NWGA) and the Washington Food Industry Association (WFIA) against the City of Seattle accused the City of violating both the constitution and collective bargaining rights by passing the $4 an hour “Hazzard Pay” wage was dropped on appeal. A spokesman from the NWGA at the time the appeal was dropped stated – “We agreed that the issue was likely moot given the City Council’s intent to repeal the ordinance in the near future” now seems premature given...

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