Published on: April 5, 2021
A note from the Content Guy:
Today, we do something a little different on MNB. Instead of our usual 10-12 stories with hand crafted analysis, we're featuring a single video interview, focusing on the issue of hazard pay mandates that have been imposed in a number of communities, and that are being considered by others.
My guest is John Grant, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770 in Los Angeles, and my goal was to have a nuanced and cordial conversation about the issue. I've been pretty vocal about disagreeing with such mandates as being bad public policy, but I wanted to spend time with someone who would challenge my perspective - and that of most people in the MNB audience, who seem to largely agree with me. After all, you don't learn anything if you only interact with people with whom you agree.
John and I ended up having an extended conversation that focused on the hazard pay debate, but also veered into issues like the PTSD some grocery workers suffer from, broader management-labor issues that have been spotlighted by the current health crisis, and the degree to which, in his market, the waters may have been fouled for future contract negotiations (the current agreement in Los Angeles is up in less than a year).
You can watch the video, above, or you can download the conversation as an audio file, below, if that makes it easier to consume.
I look forward to your responses.
