Companies that have informed their employees that they are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 say that some undecided have been vaccinated since then. But many continue to resist, a possible indication of what will happen when the federal mandate takes effect.
Even before President Joe Biden announced on September 9 that companies with more than 100 workers must require them to be vaccinated, dozens of companies including Amtrak, Microsoft, United Airlines and Disney sent ultimatums to most of their workforce. And smaller companies in New York, San Francisco and New Orleans have an obligation to require customers and employees to be vaccinated.
Vaccination orders appear to have convinced some undecided workers, but employers continue to face resistance from others. United said Tuesday night that it will begin laying off 593 employees in the coming days because they have refused to get vaccinated. Other companies are offering alternatives, such as weekly diagnostic tests or working remotely or widely separated from other staff.
The federal vaccination mandate will cover about 100 million Americans, including private sector employees, healthcare personnel, and federal contractors. The forced nature of the vaccine is a high-risk tactic by the president to increase the rate of inoculation in the United States. About 77% of American adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In August, San Francisco became the nation’s first major city to require people to show they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to eat inside restaurants, and employees have until October 13 to get vaccinated. Akash Kapoor, founder of the Curry Up Now restaurant chain, said that more than 90% of his employees at his downtown San Francisco branch are already vaccinated, and that one or two per establishment have refused. He arranged for unvaccinated employees to undergo diagnostic tests twice a week.
“This allows vaccinated employees to feel safe,” he noted.
Alejandra Segura, 28, a learning and development coordinator at Curry Up Now, said she was worried the vaccine would cause a bad reaction, so she hadn’t had it. But due to the obligation, he changed his mind and received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on September 20.
“It is good that we are forced to vaccinate to ensure the safety of people,” he said.
“Experience indicates that these mandatory provisions drive the willingness of employees to get vaccinated,” said Laura Boudreau, an adjunct professor at Columbia University who studies labor issues.
He said he believed that only a fraction of employees would prefer to leave their jobs, possibly those already close to retirement and those who have a strong distrust of vaccines.
The Biden administration has said that companies will face fines of $ 13,600 per violation, and that mandatory weekly tests will be the alternative for those who do not want to be vaccinated.
The question of who will pay for mandatory testing, employers or the government, remains unanswered. In the coming weeks, the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the office in charge of enforcing the mandatory nature of vaccinations, will be drawn up.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States. The average number of daily deaths in a seven-day period passed the 2,000 threshold last week for the first time since March.
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Koenig reported from Dallas. Associated Press reporter Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.
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