Many area businesses are holding off on ordering all employees be vaccinated in the wake of President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.
Biden called on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration last week to develop an emergency temporary standard that would require employees at companies with 100 or more workers to be vaccinated or tested once a week. Employers could face fines up to $14,000 per violation if OSHA enforces the mandate.
Jeff Ghannam, safety manager for Benco Dental, the nation’s largest independent dental distributor headquartered in Jenkins Twp., said Benco Dental has not required employees to be vaccinated to work but will follow the vaccine mandate and related regulations “once they are fully developed.”
“The challenge today is that there’s significant uncertainty in a number of areas, which will become clearer as the various agencies publish their requirements,” Ghannam said.
While Benco Dental is not mandating employees be vaccinated to work, Ghannam said the company is encouraging employees to get the vaccine and provides a $200 financial wellness incentive to associates who show proof of vaccination. At its distribution center in Jenkins Twp., 85% of employees have been vaccinated, he said.
Benco Dental employs about 400 in CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park in Jenkins Twp. With many working from home, their daily onsite average is 100 employees. The company has a mask mandate at all its facilities across the U.S. for all associates regardless of vaccination status and temperature checks are required prior to entering any facility, Ghannam said.
Elizabeth Hartman, spokeswoman for Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies, said GUARD officials are awaiting a formal rule from OSHA and “will review it at that time, but plan to abide by any government mandates once issued.”
GUARD has more than 800 employees in the Wilkes-Barre area. Most employees are still working remotely, but they have the option to split their time between going to the office and working remotely, Hartman said.
Only essential workers, including property management, some IT staff, support services and security, are required to be in the office, she said. The company requires non-vaccinated employees who choose to work in the office to self-test, she said.
“Berkshire Hathaway GUARD strongly encourages employees to be vaccinated,” Hartman said. “We provide paid time off for vaccination appointments and if an employee is experiencing difficulty in locating a vaccination clinic or getting a vaccination appointment scheduled, our human resources team will help them secure a vaccination appointment.”
Highmark, which employs about 700 people in Northeast Pennsylvania, expects all employees will be vaccinated by Sept. 30 but has not mandated they be vaccinated, said Highmark spokesman Anthony Mastrisciano.
If employees are not vaccinated, however, they must wear masks at all times while working in one of Highmark’s buildings, Matrisciano said. Other than workers who keep the buildings running, nearly all of them have been working from home since March of 2020, he said
“We are planning to start bringing some employees back to the office in all of our locations, including Wilkes-Barre, in October,” he said. “Some employees will also be considered ‘hybrid,’ where they are working in the office some days and working remotely some days.”
Highmark recently released a statement that it is reviewing the federal vaccine mandate that Biden announced on Sept. 9 “as it has many implications for the entire organization.”
“Once the organization has had time to determine if and how our current policies will be revised to comply with the federal vaccine mandate, we will provide an update to our employees,” Highmark’s statement read.
Geisinger announced last month that all employees will be required to be vaccinated.
Geisinger spokesman Matt Mattei said the deadline for employees to be vaccinated has been extended until Nov. 1. As of Friday, nearly 83% of employees have either been fully vaccinated, received the first dose of a two-dose series or have been approved for an exemption, he said.
Lowe’s, which employs more than 1,000 people in Luzerne County, continues to “evaluate developments with the administration’s vaccine policies,” said Lowe’s spokesman Steve Salazar. Lowe’s has not yet shared a plan for employees.
Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Twp., which employs more than 750 people, is waiting for “more clarity” on the federal requirement recently announced, spokesman Cody Chapman said. When OSHA puts a plan together, he said he would provide an update.
Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s Supermarkets, said 1,100 employees across nine stores in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties are not currently required to be vaccinated but that could change.
“Right now, there are just so many moving parts,” Fasula said. “Since the whole story broke, we haven’t gotten any additional information. We’re kind of waiting to see what else they have to say. Obviously, we’re going to comply if we’re required to follow it. We certainly couldn’t sustain a $14,000 fine, but I don’t understand how they expect us to enforce it.”
Robert Tomkavage, staff writer, contributed to this report.
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