Delta Air Lines To Levy A $200 Monthly Surcharge on Unvaccinated Employees!

September 20, 2021 ruthmaxey1 436 Views african American business news, african American higher covid 19 rates, african American lifestyle, african american lifestyles, african american news, airline industry, airline travel, airlinescorona virus, business employee vaccine mandate, coronavirus. Pandemic, Delta Air Lines to Levy a $200 Monthly Surcharge on Unvaccinated Employees!, delta airlines, health and nutrition, travel, travel industry, vaccine mandate

YourBlackWorld.net, By Ryan Steal, Posted September 20th 2021

Delta Air Lines Inc. will charge employees who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19 a $200 monthly surcharge, making it the first large U.S. employer to do so.

The new policy was announced in a memo from Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian In the memo, he said 75% of the carrier’s employees have already been vaccinated. According to him, an increase in coronavirus cases related to a “very aggressive” strain is driving the push for all staff to get the shots.

Employees in the airline’s health-care plan who haven’t received vaccination by November 1 will be charged a fee. Employees who haven’t been vaccinated by mid-September will be subjected to weekly testing.

Delta didn’t enforce a mandatory immunization mandate as United Airlines Holdings Inc. and a growing number of other employers did earlier this month. Vaccine requirements have also been issued by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and Facebook Inc.

While mandates have grown since Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s vaccine earned full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on Monday, some employers are cautious, fearing that they may harm morale and lead to defections in a tight labor market. Surcharges may not be as appealing as mandates, according to some health-care experts.

The cost for unvaccinated personnel is intended to “address the financial risk” associated with their decision, says Bastian. According to him, the average hospital stay for Covid-19 patients has cost Delta $40,000 per patient.

“With this week’s announcement that the FDA has granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine, the time for you to get vaccinated is now,” Bastian stated.

Workers who have not been fully vaccinated by Sept. 12 will be obliged to take a weekly coronavirus test “while community case rates are high,” read the notice.

Employees who have not been immunized must immediately wear masks in all indoor settings. Delta also said that, beginning Sept. 30, Covid pay protection will be available exclusively to employees who have had both vaccines but nonetheless become unwell.