Kroger grocer nixes COVID-19 benefits for unvaccinated employees

The United States supermarket chain employs almost half a million people.  

The Kroger supermarket chain's headquarters is shown in Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Kroger, which employs almost half a million full-time and part-time Americans, informed its staff last week that it would be eliminating the option to take two weeks of paid emergency leave for its unvaccinated employees who get COVID-19 [File: Lisa Baertlein/Reuters]

One of the biggest private employers in the United States, supermarket chain Kroger Co, is eliminating some COVID-19 benefits for its unvaccinated workers starting next year, a move it hopes will push more employees to get the jab as worries grow over the spread of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus.

Kroger, which employs almost half a million full-time and part-time Americans, informed its staff last week that it would be eliminating the option to take two weeks of paid emergency leave for its unvaccinated employees who get COVID-19, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported (paywall).

The Cincinnati-based grocer will also apply a $50 monthly health insurance surcharge to salaried non-union workers who are unvaccinated and enrolled in a company healthcare plan, according to a memo seen by the WSJ.

Kroger’s inoculation policy does not apply to employees with approved medical or religious accommodations.

Both the suspension of paid leave and the $50 surcharge are scheduled to go into effect January 1. The company has been encouraging staff to get the jab with a $100 bonus.

Kroger’s incentives – and now, its suspension of benefits – come as federal vaccination mandates for large employers continue to face legal hurdles, creating uncertainty.

Last month, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration made it a requirement for businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their employers are inoculated or get tested for COVID-19 once a week. The deadline for that is January 4.

That mandate is being challenged in court.

The policy murkiness regarding one’s health comes amid a severe US worker shortage and as more American workers are organising and unionising to demand better working conditions, benefits and pay. Many have also picketed against government-mandated vaccines, threatening to walk off the job.

In the case of Kroger, supermarket employees have been regarded as front-line, essential workers since COVID-19 hit.

During the deadliest time of the pandemic and as restaurants, cafes and bars shuttered for safety issues, grocery store employees ensured shelves stayed stocked. They were also commended widely for working a job that required contact with the general public and risking exposure to the virus.

As the country opened up, President Joe Biden pushed for greater vaccine mandates – including placing requirements on large employers. But that effort has been met with some pushback.

Last month, a US appeals court blocked Biden’s mandate that would have required private companies with more than 100 employees to have workers either get the jab or be tested. The court said it found “grave statutory and constitutional” issues with the law.

Another blow came last week when a US court axed the president’s plan to mandate vaccines for federal contractors.

Since the rulings, General Electric Co and several other companies have nixed their vaccine requirements for employees.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Advertisement