San Francisco’s larger grocery and drug stores could be required to assign at least one employee for every three self-checkout stations under an ordinance introduced this week by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. The proposal aims to protect retail jobs, ensure shoppers can get in-person assistance and address theft, according to Mandelman’s office. It comes as automation reshapes retail work and the role of cashiers and other store employees. “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. He argued that staffed checkout areas can also give customers someone to ask for help and make stores safer and less vulnerable to theft. Ademola Oyefeso, an international vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, endorsed the proposal. He said self-checkout has increased demands on employees, slowed shoppers and contributed to retail theft, and argued that staffing requirements could help address those concerns. The city’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement would enforce the ordinance. The proposal also would allow grocery shoppers and employees to sue stores over alleged violations, Mandelman’s office said. The Board of Supervisors’ Government Audit and Oversight Committee is expected to hear the measure in November. It has not yet been approved.