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Committee sends emergency ordinance requiring PPE, no‑contact delivery and anti‑retaliation protections for frontline workers
Summary
The committee voted 3–0 to send an amended emergency ordinance to the Board requiring employers in grocery, drugstore, restaurant and on‑demand delivery sectors to provide PPE, pay for certain on‑demand delivery time for hygiene, offer no‑contact deliveries and forbid retaliation; amendments address small‑business concerns and add 311 reporting for violations.
The Government Audit & Oversight Committee on April 16 voted 3–0 to send an amended emergency ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors that would temporarily require grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants and on‑demand delivery employers to provide specific worker protections during the COVID‑19 public health emergency.
Sponsor Supervisor Matt Haney said the ordinance includes five protections: employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) — such as gloves, masks and hand sanitizer — and on‑demand delivery platforms must reimburse drivers or shoppers for those purchases; on‑demand delivery employees must be paid for time spent cleaning vehicles or traveling to hand‑washing facilities during their shifts; platforms must offer a no‑contact delivery option; employers must keep employees updated on social‑distancing protocols; and the ordinance prohibits discharge or other retaliation for exercising rights under the ordinance. The implementation section was amended to add a 311 reporting option for individuals to report potential violations.
Haney said the author’s office removed a contested Section 6 concerning additional work for part‑time employees after consultation with the Office of Small Business. Regina Ticantresi, Director of the Office of Small Business, said the amendments addressed many small‑business concerns and noted many local grocers already provide PPE to delivery shoppers.
Union representatives and frontline workers called into the committee in strong support. Josie Mooney (SEIU) and Jackie Grewal (union council) urged adoption, calling the measure a "first‑in‑the‑nation" emergency protection for essential workers; delivery drivers and grocery workers described limited access to PPE and difficulty maintaining hygiene on the job. Business groups raised operational concerns about reimbursement mechanics, IT and training burdens and whether certain sections apply to platform workers who set their own hours; Chris Wright (Committee on Jobs) asked that the ordinance allow employers to offer stipends rather than implement a new reimbursement system during the emergency.
The committee first approved the author’s amendment (voice roll call 3–0) and then voted 3–0 to send the ordinance as amended to the Board of Supervisors as a committee report for the April 21 meeting.
