Calif. Federal Judge Dismisses Grocers’ Association ‘Hero Pay’ Lawsuit Against City

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which the state Grocers’ Association is challenging the City of Long Beach, Calif.’s “Hero Pay” ordinance requiring payment of an additional $4 an hour to supermarket workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, ruling it is not preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.

In an Aug. 8 order, Judge Otis D. Wright II of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California further held that the ordinance is not unconstitutional because it “not only benefits grocery workers but also benefits the public, enabling society to continue relying on …