Wauna Credit Union rolls out coronavirus hazard pay

Wauna Credit Union in Clatskanie, Ore., is the latest institution to offer bonuses for front-line staff facing additional risks because of the coronavirus.

The $257 million-asset institution’s “Hazard Pay for Heroes” initiative provides an additional $3 per hour to essential member-facing branch staff who can’t work at home. Roughly half of the credit union’s staff are working remotely right now.

“We moved employees who had to report to work to other locations so they can effectively social distance,” WCU Chief Human Resources Officer Sharon Borgardt said in a press release. “Our IT [department] did some heroic work to make this happen in a matter of days, but a very large portion of our employees serve our members face-to-face and need to report to one of our branches, so the ‘Hazard Pay for Heroes’ program is a priority for us.”

A growing number of credit unions have announced similar measures within the last week to aid staff who face additional risks by coming to the office. Among them are Hiway FCU in Minnesota, which is giving those employees at 20% bonus, and Credit Union of Southern California, which announced plans to pay all employees at the organization a $1,000 bonus to help mitigate the pandemic’s economic impact.

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