Asian Reporter web extra, September 2, 2021

What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19
vaccines?
By Tom Murphy
The Associated Press
AP Illustration by Peter Hamlin
www.asianreporter.com
September 2, 2021
What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19
vaccines?
They can require vaccination and fire employees who don’t comply, or
take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra
for health insurance.
Businesses for months have been encouraging workers to get
vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift
cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations
for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since
Pfizer’s vaccine recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
Employers "feel like they’ve sort of hit that point where the
unvaccinated are not going to do it unless there’s something significant
making them do it," said Wade Symons, a partner with Mercer, a benefits
consultant.
It’s legal for businesses to require the shots, and they could fire
employees who don’t comply. In other cases, workers might be required to
wear masks or get regular tests for the virus. Some companies also are
considering making the unvaccinated pay more for their health insurance.
At Delta Air Lines, unvaccinated employees on the company health plan
will be charged $200 a month to help cover costs for possible COVID-19
hospital stays.
Symons said other employers will more likely add smaller charges of
$20 or $25 per paycheck that might be refunded once the employee is
vaccinated.
Employers might also restrict the use of office space, company gyms,
or business travel only for the vaccinated. In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts
International has said unvaccinated employees will not be paid for time
off to quarantine if they test positive for the virus.
Vaccine requirements will mainly come from businesses that need
workers on a job site, Symons said.
Employers have to offer exemptions or accommodations from vaccine
requirements for some who don’t get the shots for medical or religious
reasons.
Walt Disney World and Ohio State University are among the large
employers that said they’ll make vaccination mandatory since Pfizer’s
shot was given the FDA’s full approval. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
also has said that military troops must immediately begin to get the
vaccine.
Some states like Montana have either banned employers from requiring
vaccines or limited when they can issue such a mandate.
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