US GE and Union Pacific Also Mandate Vaccination for All Employees

Expansion of Vaccine Mandates Among Federal Government Contractors

A freight train operated by Union Pacific. (Photo by Bloomberg)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] General Electric (GE) and freight railroad operator Union Pacific in the United States have also joined the mandate for all employees in the U.S. to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 19th (local time), GE notified more than 56,000 employees in the U.S. to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination by December 8.

GE's decision to mandate vaccination follows the executive order issued last month by President Joe Biden requiring vaccination.

Under this executive order, employees of federal government contractors must be vaccinated by December 8. Employees may apply for exemptions for medical or religious reasons, but in such cases, they must submit negative COVID-19 test results regularly.

GE supplies aircraft engines and equipment to the U.S. military.

Union Pacific, which transports military equipment for the government, also requested vaccination for all employees to comply with the executive order for federal government contractors.

Beth White, Union Pacific's head of human resources, stated in a memo sent to employees last week, "Our best defense against the severe COVID-19 situation is vaccination," encouraging employees to get vaccinated.

Union Pacific plans to offer additional leave to vaccinated non-union employees and cash incentives to union members. Conversely, non-union employees who do not comply will face disciplinary actions, including dismissal.

Previously, Boeing, defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, airlines such as American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and companies like IBM, which supply military aircraft to the U.S. government, also mandated vaccination to comply with the executive order.

WSJ estimated that the total number of employees subject to vaccination mandates at Boeing, IBM, Raytheon, GE, and Union Pacific exceeds 300,000.

While some companies have mandated vaccination, most are reportedly waiting for detailed guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the Department of Labor, expected to be announced within a few weeks, WSJ reported.