An employee outside a Target store in Clifton, New Jersey
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
Target will join a growing list of companies offering additional pay and other incentives to try to push employees to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
The retail chain said Wednesday it will offer all its employees an hourly up to four hours of pay when they receive the two vaccines. It will also cover the cost of a trip to Lyft, up to $ 15 per trip, until the vaccination appointment. And work is being done on ways to get CVS or other vendors to deliver doses to CVS pharmacy workers at Target stores or distribution centers.
Target has more than 350,000 part-time and full-time workers nationwide who will be eligible. It will not require the vaccine from employees, a company spokesman said.
“As more vaccines become available, especially for front-line and essential workers, we will help our team members across the country get the information and access they need,” said Melissa Kremer, head of resources. Target humans, in a post on the corporate blog.
To date, a limited supply of vaccine doses has prevented more Americans from receiving the vaccines. Although, as supply increases, community groups, local leaders, and businesses will face new challenges. They will have to convince some Americans to get the vaccines or help them overcome possible barriers, such as lack of childcare, transportation, or free rest from work.
More than a dozen companies have already announced incentives as part of their strategy. Discount merchants Aldi, Dollar General and Trader Joe’s offer four hours of payment to get both doses. Lidl is giving $ 200 to people receiving the shots. Kroger said he will give a one-time payment of $ 100. And several other companies, including Chobani, Amtrak, Darden and McDonald’s, have also announced cash payments.
Some companies may require the vaccine instead of encouraging it. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he wants to order the shootings for more than 60,000 employees of the company and thinks other companies should do the same.
Grocery store and department store employees have been especially on the front line of the pandemic as they have worked the cash register, helped customers and stored shelves in narrow aisles. When restaurants and malls closed in the spring, their stores remained open to provide groceries, cleaning supplies and other basic items. Some of these workers have fallen ill and died of Covid-19.
A major supermarket union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, on Tuesday released a new count of workers in its union who have fallen ill or died. It was said that more than 30,100 grocery workers have been infected or exposed to Covid-19 and that at least 137 grocery workers have died. This does not include workers in grocery stores, distribution centers, or other non-union food-related jobs, such as Target, Walmart, Amazon-owned Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s.
The union has urged workers in the grocery and sausage shop to have priority access to the vaccine.
Target has not said how many employees have fallen ill with Covid-19. During the pandemic, the retailer has offered hourly workers additional pay and additional coronavirus-related benefits, such as paid leave, and has highlighted a focus on safety. He accelerated plans to raise his minimum hourly wage to $ 15. Last month, he said he would spend about $ 200 million on another round of employee bonuses.
With the last round, Target said it has spent $ 1 billion more in 2020 on employees than in 2019.