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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


As we head into the end of the year, I have tried to carve out some additional time to read through articles as things have slowed down a bit in the office.  This week, I wanted to lead things off with an update at Kroger after they made a change this week to paid time off for unvaccinated workers as well as health insurance coverage costs for these unvaccinated workers.  That article, and the ones that follow, are worth a read.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.



Earlier this week, Kroger announced that it was amending its paid leave policy for unvaccinated workers that contract the coronavirus.  The company had previously provided these workers with two weeks of paid leave if they got the coronavirus.  Staring January 1, that two weeks of paid leave will no longer be offered to these workers.  Kroger also announced that for any unvaccinated salaried employees, they will be assessed an additional $50/month for insurance coverage if they are a part of a company provided health plan.  However, as this article from The U.S. News & World Report points out, this $50/month additional charge for insurance will not apply to hourly workers or those that are a part of a union.



Despite remaining relatively above the fray in labor disputes since coming into office, earlier this week, President Joe Biden said he was “deeply troubled” by the plans of Kellogg’s to hire new workers to replace those on strike.  Readers will recall that a tentative new collective bargaining agreement had been reached between the parties.  However, that new proposal was voted down by the striking workers…which meant that the ongoing strike would trudge on for the time being.  While Kellogg’s has not been shy about their plans to keep things moving and bring in new workers, it is interesting that this is the labor situation that President Biden has finally chosen to get involved in.  Will it impact things?  Maybe, but probably not in any significant way.



Earlier this month, a complaint was filed against Whole Foods on the grounds that the company violated federal labor law by refusing to allow its workers to wear Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) face masks and apparel at work and allegedly retaliating against workers that chose to do so.  According to the complaint, Whole Foods sent these workers home without pay and several were apparently terminated thereafter.  Whole Foods has maintained it did not violate federal labor law and has argued it has a policy in place that prohibits any signage/slogan on face masks or apparel by its workers in the workplace.  Stay tuned as this one plays out in the weeks ahead.



As Reuters has reported, Tesla is facing its second sexual harassment lawsuit in nearly a month.  This second lawsuit, like the first, alleges that an employee was sexually harassed by superiors at the workplace and then retaliated against once complaints were made to HR.  While Tesla has yet to respond to this most recent lawsuit, it will be interesting to see if additional claimants follow suit with similar claims over the next few weeks.

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