Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the Delta variant, several universities and businesses have required employees (and, in some cases, customers) to be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus or be subject to regular testing in order to stay enrolled or continue working. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) full and final approval of the Pfizer vaccine amped up these initiatives. As we reported, President Biden announced new mandates as part of his "Path Out of the Pandemic" initiatives that would require private companies to mandate vaccines for their workers. One major American company plans to comply.
American automobile giant Ford has asked salaried employees to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status by Oct. 8 to comply with federal guidelines, CNBC reported on Tuesday.
Ford's policy complies with President Biden's vaccine mandates announced this month. As we reported, the mandates require companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccination or be subject to regular testing. While the disclosure is required for salaried employees, it is optional for hourly employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
"This will aid our efforts to comply with federal COVID-19 vaccination requirements and, assess the overall vaccination level of our employee population in order to determine appropriate measures to support employee safety," Ford spokeswoman Monique Brentley said in a statement to CNBC.
In a separate statement to CNBC from Ford CEO Jim Farley, he said that the mandates are "mission critical" for the company and that he is excited for the mandate. Before the federal mandates were announced, Ford's medical staff and leadership team were already vaccinated.
In a letter obtained by CNBC, UAW President Ray Curry said that Biden's vaccination mandates "will likely apply to many, if not most of the private employers" with workers represented by the UAW. Currently, Curry is waiting on guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding the new mandates.
Last month, multinational automotive corporation General Motors required all U.S.-based salaried employees to disclose their vaccination status.
Several governors and other elected officials have spoken out against the mandates, as we've reported. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster stated that "The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats" and that "we will fight them to the gates of hell" against the mandates.