Trader Joe’s raises pay after Seattle passes mandate

SEATTLE (AP) — Trader Joe’s has said it will temporarily raise pay for all its employees across the United States in response to a recently passed mandate in Seattle requiring large grocery stores to increase pay by $4 an hour for its front-line workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Trader Joe’s made the announcement on its website. The Seattle Times reported that the post does not mention the mandate but a message to employees attributed the pay increase to the recently approved order in Seattle. CEO Dan Bane, President Jon Baslone and a third executive said in a letter that the $4-per-hour raise will continue throughout the pandemic or until employees are “eligible for vaccines as ‘grocery workers.’”