Walmart, Disney get tough on unvaccinated employees

Bloomberg

America’s corporate giants began ratcheting up the pressure on unvaccinated employees, aiming to turn the tide against a resurgent virus that threatens the economic recovery. Walmart, the largest private employer in the US, is requiring headquarters and regional staff to be vaccinated by October 4, instituting a policy that may set a standard for corporate America as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread. Walt Disney issued a similar mandate of its own.
“The pandemic is not over, and the delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the US,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said. “We have made the decision to require all campus office associates and all market, regional and divisional associates who work in multiple facilities to be vaccinated by October 4, unless they have an approved exception.”
The companies will be closely watched by other corporate leaders grappling with the myriad challenges of getting white-collar employees safely back into offices while also looking after their frontline employees in stores, factories and distribution centers, with the delta variant pushing cases higher again.
Walmart’s action covers all campus staff as well as market, regional and divisional employees who work in multiple facilities. A spokesman couldn’t immediately say how many of the retailer’s 1.5 million-person US workforce will be affected. Walmart separately told its frontline store and warehouse associates to don masks again, and doubled the cash incentive it’s providing for employees to get vaccinated to $150.
As the Walmart and Disney announcements show, extending vaccine mandates from office workers to frontline staff will be difficult. It’s especially complicated when unionized employees and collective bargaining agreements are involved, as in the case of Disney.