Irvine advances grocery worker retention rules

The Irvine City Council gave initial approval to local rules that would extend job protections to some smaller grocery store workers when store ownership changes, Voice of OC reported.

The proposal would go beyond California law, which applies to grocery stores larger than 15,000 square feet, by covering smaller stores with more than 300 employees nationwide.

The council voted 5-2 last week to approve the proposed retention requirements in an initial vote, according to Voice of OC. A second vote is required before the ordinance can take effect.

State law already requires larger grocery stores under new ownership to create a priority hiring list and keep existing employees for at least 90 days. Irvine’s proposal would add local protections for stores under 15,000 square feet if the company has more than 300 employees nationwide.

Jose Perez, president of UFCW Local 324, backed the proposal at the meeting. "The Irvine grocery worker retention ordinance is critical to ensure that skilled and trained workers can continue to provide our communities with access to safe food, goods and medicine," Perez said, according to Voice of OC. "Workers should not have to worry about losing their job just because of the size of the store they work at."

The article said the debate comes after 15 employees were fired from a Mother’s Market store in Costa Mesa in late August during calls to unionize workers. Andrew Hausermann, organizing director for UFCW, said a Mother’s Market store in Irvine could soon see new ownership. "Because the Irvine Mother’s Market store is smaller than 15,000 square feet, [the employees] wouldn’t be protected by the existing state law," Hausermann said, according to Voice of OC.

The California Grocer Association opposed the change. "This council has built a myth that only certain employees have the ability or aptitude to implement proper food safety practices, which is absurd," Tim James, a spokesperson for the California Grocer Association, said, according to Voice of OC. "We ask you to not pass this policy, refrain from using false and inaccurate reasoning and urge you to not unnecessarily regulate brick and mortar grocers."

Councilmember Kathleen Treseder proposed the ordinance and is up for reelection this year, Voice of OC reported. Her most recent campaign contribution disclosure forms show she received $650 from the UFCW Local 324 PAC, according to the article. Councilmembers Mike Carroll and James Mai voted no.

Voice of OC reported that the proposal now awaits the required second vote before it can become law in Irvine.