The nation's largest grocery company, Kroger, has over 2,700 locations. A COVID-19 rule modification by the corporation may affect approximately 500,000 employees.
Kroger will no longer provide unvaccinated employees with two weeks of paid emergency COVID-19 leave starting Jan. 1,
2022. The Cincinnati Inquirer reports that affected workers can still request unpaid vacation or use earned paid time off.
writer Alexander Coolidge writes, "Vaccinated employees that fall ill from COVID-19 can get up to two weeks of paid leave without using their regular time-off benefits."
Kroger will tax unvaccinated salaried employees on a business health plan $50 a month, or $600 a year.
However, the chain will continue to give $100 prizes to shot recipients.
Kroger told the Cincinnati Inquirer that it was changing its standards to "encourage safe behaviors including vaccination."
"The vaccine administration to our associates has been an integral part of our pandemic efforts and continues to be a focus," Kroger spokeswoman
Kristal Howard said of the modifications. "We have been navigating the COVID-19 pandemic for almost two years, and in line with our values, the safety of our associates