Starbucks: Workers must have shots or tests
Starbucks says its U.S. workers must be fully vaccinated by Feb. 9 or face a weekly COVID testing requirement.
The Seattle-based coffee giant said Monday that it was acting in response to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which issued a vaccine-ortest requirement for companies with more than 100 employees in November.
The requirement, which has faced numerous court challenges, was upheld last month by a threejudge panel of a federal appellate court. The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider the requirement Friday.
Starbucks is requiring its 228,000 U.S. employees to disclose their vaccination status by next Monday.
“I recognize that partners have a wide spectrum of views on vaccinations, much like the rest of the country,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver said in a letter sent to employees late last month. “My responsibility, and that of every leader, is to do whatever we can to help keep you safe and create the safest work environment possible.”
Starbucks said full vaccination means two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If a Starbucks employee chooses to test weekly instead, they must pay the cost of testing themselves and get tested at pharmacy, clinic or other testing site where someone is observing the test. Religious or medical accommodations will be considered, but to work in a store, employees must test weekly, the company said.
Employees who test positive will be able to use paid time to self-isolate. Starbucks said it is offering employees two instances of paid isolation time, both up to five days each.