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Alaska Airlines Offers Incentive to Employees to Get Coronavirus Vaccine While Ending “Covid Pay” For Unvaccinated Employees

 

Last week, Alaska Airlines announced that it would offer its employees a $200 bonus to get the coronavirus vaccine.  Note, while the company is not (yet) requiring its employees to get the vaccine, this policy only applies to current employees.  All future employees of Alaska Airlines will be required to get the vaccine (or if they already have, they will be eligible for a $200 bonus.)

In turn, the company also announced that for any unvaccinated employee that has to quarantine because of possible exposure to the coronavirus (or any unvaccinated employee that contracts the coronavirus), they will no longer be eligible for the company’s “Covid pay.”  (Prior to this announcement, if an employee had to quarantine because of possible exposure to the coronavirus or if an employee actually contracted the coronavirus and had to miss work, the company would provide them with paid leave.)  Going forward, if an unvaccinated employee has to quarantine because of possible exposure to the coronavirus or if an employee actually contracts the coronavirus and has to miss work, they will be required to use sick leave or vacation time.  If no sick leave or vacation time exists, the time spent not working will be unpaid.  For any vaccinated employee that has to miss time from work due to the coronavirus, they will still be eligible for the company’s “Covid pay.”

As well, unvaccinated employees will be required to participate in a “vaccine education program.”  Notably, details are somewhat light about what all a “vaccine education program” would encompass.


For additional information:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/09/03/alaska-airlines-unvaccinated-covid-19/5713458001/

For additional, additional information…:  https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/alaska-airlines-pushes-employees-toward-vaccination/

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