Boeing’s workers, including those in SC, will be required to get COVID vaccine
Aerospace company Boeing, which has a manufacturing site in North Charleston, will require COVID-19 vaccines for their employees, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday.
There will be very limited exceptions to the rules, the company said. And employees without accommodations who chose not to get vaccinated could face being fired, The Seattle Times first reported.
Boeing is requiring employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 8, the same deadline on President Joe Biden’s executive order that requires federal contractors to be vaccinated.
Boeing employs more than 7,500 people in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The North Charleston facility produces 787 Dreamliners and delivers them all over the world, according to Boeing’s website.
Few exemptions from the mandate will be allowed, multiple news outlets reported. Employees can request one if they have a disability or a “sincerely held” religious belief.
Those who are exempt will have to submit to frequent COVID-19 testing.
Biden signed his executive order mandating contractors get vaccinated on Sept. 9. At the same time, the Biden administration told companies it would add clauses to future government contracts requiring vaccinations.
The move is part of the Biden administration’s strategy to increase the vaccination rate and slow the spread of COVID-19. The administration also required all federal workers, including military, to get vaccinated, and announced a plan to mandate that companies with 100 or more employees require them to be vaccinated or tested regularly.
