CINCINNATI, Ohio (LifeSiteNews) — The Kroger grocer chain plans to punish employees who reject COVID jabs in the new year.
The grocery chain, which also operates stores under other names, including King Sooper’s and Mariano’s, has announced that staff who have chosen not to get jabbed will have to pay an extra $50 per month in health insurance costs and, if they contract COVID, will lose extra paid time off.
“The $50 surcharge goes into effect Jan. 1 and applies to salaried associates enrolled in a company health plan,” USA Today reported.
“The extra expense would cost an employee $600 per year,” it continued.
“Also starting Jan. 1, unvaccinated employees [who] get sick from COVID-19 will still be able to take their earned paid-time-off or be allowed to apply for unpaid leave but won’t get [the] extra paid-time-off Kroger [has] implemented since the start of the pandemic,” USA Today reported.
It’s a departure from the beginning of the shutdowns when the workers were hailed as heroes. “We are proud of our amazing staff who has been working hard to keep our neighborhoods fed,” one manager at a Kroger-owned store in Colorado said in April 2020.
The company paid out a “hero bonus” in March 2020 to its workers. The company saw a 30% increase in sales at the beginning of the lockdown, as people stocked up on groceries and toiletries.
“We are so proud of our dedicated associates who are on the front lines serving our customers when they need us most,” CEO Rodney McMullen said at the time. “A huge thank you to all of our associates, whose efforts are nothing short of heroic.”
He made similar comments when the company announced its bonus.
“Our associates are working around the clock to keep our stores open for our customers. I am incredibly grateful for all they are doing,” McMullen said, according to Supermarket News.
“The true heroes in this story are our associates, and we want to provide them with additional resources and support to help them continue their remarkable effort.”
The company meanwhile has profited quite well from the pandemic, as it has conducted COVID testing and injected people with the shots.
Its operating profits have grown from $537 million for the last fiscal quarter of 2019 to $868 million for the third fiscal quarter of 2021.
“Kroger Health administered more than 5 million COVID-19 vaccines to date, including customers and associates,” the company announced in a June 17 summary. Pharmacies get paid approximately $40 per COVID shot.
This represents at least $200 million revenue for a process that takes just seconds and uses employees Kroger already has for its pharmacy.
Its stock price has also increased 52 percent from the beginning of 2020 until December 13, 2021.
LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.