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Amazon, Aldi, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and other retailers begin to encourage workers to get the vaccine

Some stores say they will give employees paid time off and bonuses when COVID-19 vaccines are more broadly available.

Retailers are still trying to get priority status for their employees in the COVID-19 vaccine pipeline while they promote the shots to their workers with incentive offers to get vaccinated.

Amazon, which has 800,000 employees in the U.S., said Wednesday that it had an agreement with a health care provider to vaccinate workers at its Amazon fulfillment centers, AWS data centers and Whole Foods Market stores who can’t work from home.

Amazon’s front-line employees haven’t been given a time frame because Amazon doesn’t yet have access to the vaccines, but in messaging to employees the retailer has referenced the shots’ effectiveness.

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Walmart, the largest U.S. employer, with 1.5 million employees, has also been talking up the vaccine.

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“We’re educating essential workers and all associates on getting the vaccine as soon as they are eligible,” Dr. Cheryl Pegus, the chain’s executive vice president for health and wellness, said in a blog post Friday. “We are strongly encouraging all associates to get vaccinated but are not mandating anyone receive the vaccine nor are we providing incentives at this time.”

“We’re doing everything we can to help ensure the health and well-being of our associates and customers during the pandemic,” she said. “That includes keeping everyone updated and informed.”

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Walmart on Friday added its Texas pharmacies to its vaccine rollout.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Dave Clark, a top Amazon executive, said the company “stands ready to assist” in getting Americans vaccinated, starting with its own employees. Like many employers, Amazon offers flu shots at work.

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In the past, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate vaccines, including flu shots. Last year, the EEOC indicated that employers could require COVID-19 vaccinations, but most so far are only encouraging them.

U.S. employees of the Brazilian-owned meatpacker JBS SA and its Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. subsidiary will get a $100 bonus if they get a COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported. JBS, the biggest meat producer in the world, is hoping the bonus will lead to a high percentage of its 66,000 workers being vaccinated. Meatpacking was one of the first industries to experience plant outbreaks that led to disruptions in production, including in Texas.

Americans are becoming less reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to recent polls, and demand from older Americans who have been classified as among the first eligible to get the vaccine has so far exceeded supply. But there are stark regional differences, according to data collected by Carnegie Mellon’s COVIDcast.

Dollar General is offering its 157,000 employees four hours of pay to get the vaccine.

Aldi said earlier this week that it would give two hours of pay for each dose employees receive. The discount grocer also said it planned to set up vaccination clinics at its warehouses and offices to provide easier access. The retailer has two large distribution centers in Texas, in Denton and Rosenberg. It has 25,000 employees in the U.S.

“Providing accommodations so employees can receive this critical vaccine is one more way we can support them and eliminate the need to choose between earning their wages and protecting their well-being,” said Aldi CEO Jason Hart.

Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said the retailer is closely monitoring the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the country.

“We encourage our crew members to get vaccinated and are supporting them in doing so by providing an additional two hours of regular pay per dose for taking the time to get vaccinated,” she said.

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Trader Joe’s is also making sure employee schedules are adjusted around vaccine appointments, she said.

Throughout the pandemic, Trader Joe’s and other retailers have bumped up pay — by $2 an hour in the specialty grocer’s case — to thank essential workers. The chain has also enhanced benefits.

The federal government is paying for vaccines, so they are free to the public.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias

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