Walmart Inc. and Walt Disney Co. are requiring thousands of their U.S. workers to get vaccinated for Covid-19 amid a shift in federal health guidelines and rising U.S. cases in recent weeks.
The two corporate giants join some technology companies this week in announcing new measures for their employees, but the firms are drawing distinctions between groups of workers.
Disney said Friday its vaccine requirement applies to salaried and nonunion workers, while Walmart said its vaccine mandate applied to corporate staff and regional managers.
“As we all know, the pandemic is not over, and the Delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the U.S.,” Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon wrote in a memo announcing the requirement.
Walmart isn’t requiring all of its 1.6 million U.S. workers to get Covid-19 shots. The mandate, unveiled in a staff memo Friday, doesn’t apply to its store and warehouse staffers, the bulk of its workforce. Instead it is encouraging those employees to get vaccinated by offering a $150 bonus.
