# Supermarket Chain Strips Unvaccinated Employees of Benefits

By Human Events · Published 2021-12-15 · News & Analysis › Politics · https://humanevents.com/news/supermarket-chain-strips-unvaccinated-employees-of-benefits

> Kroger announced Tuesday it will take away paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who get sick with COVID-19, in addition to requiring some of them to pay a monthly $50 health insurance surcharge beginning in 2022. The country’s largest supermarket chain, Kroger employs roughly 465,000 people. The changes were announced via an internal company memo, \[…\]

Kroger announced Tuesday it will take away paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who get sick with COVID-19, in addition to requiring some of them to pay a monthly $50 health insurance surcharge beginning in 2022.

The country’s largest supermarket chain, Kroger employs roughly 465,000 people. The changes were announced via an internal company memo, the *Daily Caller* [reports](https://dailycaller.com/2021/12/14/kroger-vaccine-covid-19-benefits-employee-mandate/). The changes will begin on January 1.

As previously reported by *Human Events News,* the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it will require all businesses with over 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or test weekly.

“We have been navigating the COVID-19 pandemic for almost two years, and, in line with our values, the safety of our associates and customers has remained our top priority,” a Kroger spokesperson told the *Daily Caller*. “To accomplish this, we created and amended several workplace policies at the onset of the pandemic to support our associates during immense uncertainty.”

“The administration of the vaccine to our associates has been an integral part of our efforts and continues to be a focus,” the spokesperson added.

The new rules will apply to salaried, non-union employees using the company’s healthcare plan.