Kroger takes heat for closing 'hero pay' stores and boosting CEO's pay

Rodney McMullen, CEO of The Kroger Co., made $22.4 million last year, or 909 times the median pay for the grocery giant's employees. The CEO's pay package represented a six percent increase over 2019 and was set in advance of public criticism of Kroger for its decisions to close stores in cities where so-called hero pay of $4 or $5 an hour was mandated to be paid for frontline workers. Kroger, which has said that its average hourly wages are around $20 when benefits are included maintained through a spokesperson that it "continues to reward and recognize our associates for their incredible work during this historic time.”