Here’s how Biden’s new federal vaccine mandate will affect Triangle companies
In a major step toward curbing the continued spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., President Joe Biden announced new vaccine mandates Thursday that will affect up to 84 million American workers.
The primary vaccine rule issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will require all companies with 100 or more employees to make sure their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4, or they’ll be required to test negative for the virus weekly.
Major Triangle employers already already have instituted their own vaccine requirements for their workers, many of whom are splitting their time between working at home and the office, The News & Observer reported.
Meanwhile, other companies in Raleigh, Durham and the region had not yet announced plans to require their employees to get the shot or get tested periodically for the virus as a condition of employment.
The new federal rules may change that, pending further review by companies themselves and state regulators.
What are federal vaccine requirements?
Under this rule, employers must pay employees for time taken for workers to get vaccinated. If workers need to recover from the vaccine’s side effects, employers must provide sick leave for them.
As part of the rule, employers won’t be required to pay for or provide testing to workers who decline the shot. However, collective bargaining agreements from a union or other circumstances may change this, NPR reported.
Unvaccinated workers must also wear face coverings on the job, starting Dec. 5.
A standard penalty for violating OSHA’s rules starts at $13,653, according to the White House.
People who are fired from their jobs due to refusing the vaccine are unlikely to qualify for unemployment benefits, the Department of Employment Security previously told The N&O.
While the number of companies asking employees to get vaccinated before they return to the office has risen in recent weeks, most of them made that decision before the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier this year.
The North Carolina Department of Labor has received the order from OSHA and must respond within 15 days. In a statement, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson expressed doubt about his department’s capacity to efficiently operate under the task of enforcing compliance with the new vaccine requirements.
“At this point, we are reviewing the text of the rule and its potential impact on our state’s employers and will ultimately issue a response by the required date,” said Dobson. “We anticipate legal action at the state and federal level, which may impact NCDOL’s next steps. I am considering all possible avenues and will pursue the option that best serves the collective interests of North Carolina employers and workers.”
Here are North Carolina employers that already have requirements and those who have not announced them yet. This list will be updated as employers announce their requirements.
Who has a vaccine mandate?
Cisco Systems: Cisco employs around 5,000 people in Research Triangle Park.
Citrix: The company maintains a large office in downtown Raleigh. The mandate went into effect Oct. 1.
CreditSuisse: The investment banking company, which has a corporate campus in Research Triangle Park, is only allowing fully vaccinated employees in a scheduled return to office work. Non-vaccinated workers have been required to work from home until they get vaccinated or the federal guidance changes.
Duke University: Duke, whose health system is one of the largest employers in the entire region, required employees to show documentation by Oct. 1. Getting vaccinated is a condition for new employees.
Google: The company has an office in Durham and told employees that they need to be vaccinated if they come into the office.
IBM: IBM’s offices in Research Triangle Park are home to some 8,000 employees. The company has said it will only allow fully vaccinated employees back into the office. U.S. employees have a Dec. 8, deadline.
Lenovo: Though the multinational tech company hasn’t yet enacted a vaccine mandate for its roughly 5,000 U.S. employees, a spokesperson told The N&O in an email that Lenovo will follow OSHA’s requirements by the 2022 deadline.
The company has a corporate office in Research Triangle Park. The company said it does not share how many workers are employed by state.
Merck: The pharmaceutical company, with a facility in north Durham, required employees to be vaccinated by Nov. 1, unless they declare medical or religious exemptions.
MetLife: The company that employs over 2,400 people at its Global Technology campus in Cary changed its vaccine policy Sept. 27, spokeswoman Kim Friedman said. Employees are required to be vaccinated or test negative for the virus weekly to enter their buildings in the U.S.
New company policy includes a $100 incentive to get vaccinated to cover costs associated with getting the shot, or can give the option to workers to have the money be directed to charity.
Active MetLife employees are eligible to receive at least 8 hours in paid leave for needs related to the vaccine according to local law, Friedman said.
“We are thoroughly reviewing the guidance issued today,” said Friedman. “MetLife continues to monitor the ecosystem and is making decisions with the safety and well-being of our employees as top priority. External factors such as federal, state and local regulations and guidance inform all of our decisions.”
Pendo: The fast-growing Raleigh software startup said this fall it would implement a vaccine mandate for those who work in the office but didn’t have a start date, a spokesperson said.
Pfizer: The company has approximately 3,600 workers in Wake County and operates a facility in Raleigh, according to Wake County Economic Development. All Pfizer employees are required to be vaccinated, and those who decline or declare exemptions must take a PCR test twice a week, The N&O reported.
Red Hat: A vaccination requirement has been in effect since Aug. 9 for employees returning to in-person work and company events. Employees have until Nov. 29 to get vaccinated to continue their employment, The N&O reported.
SAS Institute: SAS, Cary’s largest employer, requires all workers to be vaccinated or potentially face termination, regardless of where they work, The N&O reported. SAS employees were to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, when the campus was scheduled to fully reopen to its 5,500 employees. The vaccine mandate also applies to future employees.
UNC Health: UNC Health’s vaccination deadline was Nov. 2. The N&O reported that 99.4% of the 29,000 UNC Health workers complied with the policy with 175 not getting the shot.
WakeMed: WakeMed’s 10,000 employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 12, The N&O reported.
Who has not implemented vaccine mandate yet?
Bandwidth: Raleigh software company Bandwidth has not announced vaccine requirements for its employees so far. A spokesperson told The N&O said the company has not yet responded to the new vaccine requirements.
Bandwidth previously said it was monitoring the situation with the delta variant. The company has offices on N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus and allowed employees to work remotely as long as there is a mask mandate in the city of Raleigh.
Duke Energy: One of the major employers in the state with around 1,000 in downtown Raleigh has not decided whether to mandate vaccines.
“I can tell you that the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is out from OSHA, we’re carefully reviewing it to determine how we will comply,” spokesman Neil Nissan said in an email.
Wolfspeed: The Raleigh tech company formerly known as Cree has not put a vaccine requirement in place but has created an employee vaccination incentive program with weekly reward drawings until mid-December, a spokeswoman for the company said.
The rewards they’re giving to fully-vaccinated employees include gaming systems, jewelry, gift certificates, and even a Tesla Model Y as a grand prize.
“We are strongly encouraging employees to get vaccinated, by increasing employee access to vaccines and testing through onsite clinics, and providing key education about the importance of vaccination against COVID-19,” Wolfspeed said in an emailed statement. “At the same time, we want our employees to do what’s best for them and their families. We are examining how we will comply consistent with our values and respect for our employee’s privacy.”
Epic Games and Fidelity Investments — major companies in the Triangle who had not mandated vaccines for workers — did not respond to requests for comment by The N&O Thursday afternoon.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
