Kroger to end ‘hero pay’ for workers

On May 17, Kroger-owned stores in the Western U.S. will eliminate a $2 hourly pay boost the grocer called “hero pay”. Locals for the United Food Commercial Workers union, which represents workers at Kroger, called on the supermarket giant to continue paying workers the higher wage and take steps to improve store safety practices. “We have been working hard from day one of this crisis, putting our own health at risk to serve our community, and now Kroger’s response is to say that they are going to take away our pay. Meanwhile, in many stores they are still dropping the ball on limiting the number of people in the store at one time to allow proper social distancing,” said Chuck Svac, a member of UFCW 21 from the Fred Meyer store in Port Orchard, WA.