Los Angeles, CA – In response to the recent ‘Hero Pay’ proposals from localities across the state, the California Fuels & Convenience Alliance issued the following statement:
“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has devastated communities and the businesses that serve them. While countless storefronts have closed their doors permanently and left employees jobless, even those that have remained open throughout the pandemic have felt the unequivocal wounds of its impact. While more and more Californians look to online and delivery services, brick-and-mortar retailers have taken even deeper hits.
“Still, over the past 10 months, employers have provided bonuses, pay increases, and other benefits, as was feasible. The unfortunate reality of ‘Hero Pay’, as it has been discussed, is that it will ultimately bring greater harm to more employees than it helps.
“One needs only to look at the state 15 dollar-per-hour minimum wage increase to realize that this proposal is not rational, especially in the midst of a pandemic. When the state legislature increased California’s minimum wage from 10 to 15 dollars-per-hour, they set a gradual increase over the course of six years to allow businesses to make necessary accommodations. An additional surge right now is simply not tenable.
“This leaves employers with a difficult choice: keeping their employees, or decreasing their hours.
“Ultimately, this mandate will consume any of the remaining assistance businesses have received since the impacts of COVID first took hold. If it is the intention of lawmakers to provide assistance to frontline workers, it should be they who provide it, without further endangering businesses reeling through this pandemic.”
