CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Leaders of the country's biggest grocery store chain are taking action to get its employees vaccinated. Kroger ended some COVID-19 benefits in an effort to do that.
Cincinnati-based Kroger employs about a half-million frontline workers in more than 30 states. The company announced unvaccinated workers are no longer eligible to get two weeks of paid COVID-19 leave if they get the virus.
Starting Jan. 1, there are benefit changes for unvaccinated management and non-union employees. Salaried workers who are enrolled in a company health care plan will pay a $50 surcharge every month.
This does not apply to hourly associates enrolled in a company health care plan or those covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
Tod Thompson is a Cincinnati attorney who practices employment law.
“I don’t think any of this should be unexpected. There are consequences to an unvaccinated population during a pandemic,” Thompson said.
President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate is at a standstill while it faces legal battles, but getting workers vaccinated is still a focus for many employers.
“Companies most certainly are at liberty to protect themselves, their employees and the public against a known threat,” Thompson said.
Kroger isn't the first company to eliminate some benefits. Delta announced a similar change back in August.
A Kroger spokeswoman told Local 12:
“We have been navigating the COVID-19 pandemic for almost two years and, in line with our values, the safety of our...
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