"As a result of the City of Long Beach's decision to pass an ordinance mandating Extra Pay for grocery workers, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close long-struggling store locations in Long Beach. This misguided action by the Long Beach City Council oversteps the traditional bargaining process and applies to some, but not all, grocery workers in the city."When asked if Kroger would shut down more stores in other cities that order hazard pay for grocery workers, Ralphs Director for Corporate Affairs John Votava said in an email: "These misguided mandates could put any struggling store in jeopardy of closure." "Kroger's decision is unfortunate for workers, shoppers and the company," said the city in a statement released in response. It mentioned how the two stores were struggling for some time. Long Beach Vice Mayor and City Council member Rex Richardson said he doesn't entirely believe Kroger when it said that the temporary wage bump would make its two stores unprofitable. But he did concede that the Food 4 Less that will be shut down, which is in his district, has struggled in recent years due to five big-box grocery stores opening nearby. Richardson said in a phone interview with local news outlet Long Beach Press-Telegram that his job now is to see to his constituents who will be affected. "As a council member, I don't have a lot of time to sit back and pontificate about whether some corporate executive who made an extra billion dollars last year is upset about a city council decision," he said. "I'm not shaken. I just think it's important that residents know that one way or the other, they're going to be okay. We're going to be okay. Our community is making progress." Richardson said he is already working to determine the city's next steps, which is why he is talking to local employment service company Pacific Gateway to provide the impacted workers with unemployment benefits and other services. He is also speaking with the city's Economic Development Department to discuss what will be done with the soon-to-be-vacated properties.
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