Companies paying employees to get covid-19 vaccine
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CHOBANI The company, a yogurt and dairy products maker, said in a statement that it will cover up to six hours of time for hourly Chobani employees to get vaccinated. That's three hours
for each of the two doses required for the COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for emergency use. DARDEN RESTAURANTS This chain, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates 1,815
restaurants across the nation, including such well-known brands as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama
Breeze, and Eddie V's. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Darden CEO Gene Lee recently sent a letter to employees announcing that the company will offer hourly employees two hours of
pay for each dose of the vaccine they receive (four hours total). The company will use an employee's earnings, including tips, over the most recent 13 weeks to calculate the pay rate,
with a maximum of $20 an hour, the Sentinel reports. Darden currently employs about 133,000 hourly workers. DOLLAR GENERAL Saying that it doesn't want its “employees to have to choose
between receiving a vaccine or coming to work,” this retailer announced in January that it is offering its hourly workers “a one-time payment equivalent of four hours of regular pay after
receiving a completed COVID-19 vaccination.” Salaried employees will be provided with flexible hours to get vaccinated, if they choose to do so. INSTACART One challenge of gig work is that
the companies that rely on gig workers don't typically offer health care benefits. During the pandemic, more than 500,000 people have worked as Instacart “shoppers,” picking up and
delivering groceries to others. Starting Feb. 1, the company will offer eligible workers a $25 Vaccine Support stipend, which is intended to offset the wages they might lose during the time
it takes to get vaccinated. Any active Instacart shopper who has filled at least five orders in the previous 30 days and can verify they have received a COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible to
receive the stipend. JBS USA AND PILGRIM'S This meat-processing giant currently employs 66,000 workers in the United States. It is offering its employees a $100 incentive bonus if they
receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Last year, the company paid workers considered to be vulnerable to the coronavirus their full salary and benefits even when they were temporarily removed from
the workforce to protect their health. KROGER With more than 500,000 employees in 35 states, Kroger is the nation’s largest supermarket chain. It has announced it will offer employees a
$100 bonus once they can show proof of inoculation. Employees who can’t get the COVID-19 vaccination for medical or religious reasons can earn the $100 bonus by completing an educational
course. The company also has announced that it will be giving all of its essential and frontline workers an additional $100 store credit and 1,000 fuel points for use at its Fuel Centers.
LIDL This discount supermarket chain — which has more than 125 stores across Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia — is
offering all of its employees $200 in extra pay if they get a COVID-19 vaccination. These workers also can request schedule flexibility to go to a vaccination appointment. In March, Lidl
partnered with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to offer all of its employees free access to comprehensive COVID-19 medical coverage.