Kroger Eliminates Some Benefits for Unvaccinated Employees


Kroger, the national supermarket operator and one of the nation’s largest retailers, has restructured Covid-19 benefits for unvaccinated workers, and a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that it will charge some if they remain unprotected.

Last year, before coronavirus vaccines were available, the company began offering two weeks of paid leave to employees who contracted Covid-19. The spokesperson said Kroger told its employees last week that as of January 1, this benefit will no longer be available to those who have not been vaccinated. News Reported by The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

Unvaccinated employees will continue to be eligible for other forms of leave, but special leave will now only be available to fully vaccinated employees.

Kroger also said that a company would charge salaried workers enrolled in a health care plan $50 a month if they were unvaccinated. This surcharge will not apply to unionized workers and hourly wage workers enrolled in a company’s health care plan.

“We created and changed several workplace policies at the start of the pandemic to support our partners during great uncertainty,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The administration of the vaccine to our employees has been an integral part of our efforts and remains a focus.”

It was unclear how many of Kroger’s approximately 500,000 employees were vaccinated.

Earlier this year, Kroger make a one-time payment of $100 to all employees who receive the Covid-19 vaccine by joining a wave of companies, cities, and states offer similar incentives. Kroger said he will continue this program.

Biden administration in September issued three vaccination instructionsone for federal contractors, another for healthcare workers, and a third for companies with more than 100 employees. All three powers affecting the private sector have been suspended by the courts due to legal challenges.

Employers and governors, mostly in Republican states, have opposed President Biden’s directive that large corporations’ employees should either be vaccinated or tested weekly. you go to extremes.

When asked about Kroger’s new policies, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: said during a news briefing “We know that different private sector companies and organizations will take different steps to encourage people to get vaccinated and keep their employees and workforces safe,” he said on Tuesday. He stressed that the company’s new policy did not come from the federal government.

Founded in 1883 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Kroger operates more than 2,500 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia under a range of brand names. according to their website.



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