(KRON) -- Grocery store shoppers in San Francisco would see more checkout lines staffed by people, not just machines, under new legislation introduced by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman this week. The ordinance would require larger grocery and drug stores to have at least one employ ee for every three self-service checkout stations. Mandelman's office said the legislation's goals are to protect retail jobs, preserve human interaction for shoppers in neighborhood stores, and combat retail theft. "San Francisco leads the world in technology, and we should be just as committed to making sure working people have a place in that future," Mandelman said. "Staffed checkout also gives shoppers someone to turn to, whether they need help, a question answered, or simply a familiar face. When a store has real people supervising the front end, it is safer for workers and customers and better protected against theft." The supervisor's office emphasized that San Francisco is home to an economy increasingly shaped by automation and emerging technology. Cashiers, clerks, and store attendants provide jobs for working people while assisting customers who need or prefer face-to-face employee service. Video: Brazen San Francisco shoplifters busted near Gap store "Good, safe stores are staffed stores," UFCW International Vice President Ademola Oyefeso wrote in a statement. Oyefeso continued, "While self-checkout was sold as a win-win for workers and shoppers, in reality, it overloaded workers, slowed down shoppers, and increased retail theft. Having proper staffing ratios at self-checkout stands solves these problems for everyone, which is why we are proud to support this proposal." San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement would have authority to enforce the ordinance. Grocery shoppers and employees could also sue the stores in court, Mandelman's office said. Mandelman's office wrote, "The costs of retail theft are not solely borne by store operators and do not fully show up in corporate balance sheets. Those costs also include the physical risks and psychological trauma experienced by employees and customers, as well as the impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and businesses when a local grocery or drug store experiences persistent theft." The ordinance will be heard at the Board of Supervisors Government Audit Oversight Committee in November.  ...read more read less