Description: Early in the Covid crisis, many lauded grocery strore chains as they cranked up the salaries of front line employees with “Hero Pay.” But the “Hero Pay” premium has all but disappeared, while at the same time grocery chain profits have generated big bonuses for company executives. This has prompted pressure from various voices to bring back the premium given the expanded risk employees face under this latest wave of Covid-19.

Date:  January 7, 2022

Source:  cbc.ca

 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/grocers-hero-pay-unifor-1.6307698

Discussion points:

1) Have you ever worked as a front-line grocery worker during the pandemic? Did you benefit from “Hero Pay?”

2) Have a discussion in your class about how students could influence this debate. Do students and student associations have any tools they could employ to assist in the “Hero Pay” debate?

3) Appendix B of Wiley’s Financial Accounting: Tools for Business Decision Making provides a specimen financial statement for Sobeys, one of Canada’s major food retailers. As a reader of those financial statements, how might you be able to determine the financial impact of any “Hero Pay” premium?