Starbucks Readies Workers for Vaccine Mandate

The coffeehouse chain is asking employees to disclose their vaccination status by January 10.

January 04, 2022

COVID-19 Vaccine

NEW YORK—Starbucks is preparing to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) vaccine mandate, reports CNBC amid legal challenges from the business community, including NACS.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on OSHA’s mandate during a special session on January 7.

According to CNBC, Starbucks is asking its U.S. employees to disclose their vaccination status by January 10, and if they are not fully vaccinated by February 9, when OSHA’s mandate begins, workers must present a negative COVID-19 test no more than seven days before their next shift and once a week going forward. At-home tests will not be accepted, and unvaccinated workers will have to procure their own tests.

Depending on the ongoing legal challenges, Starbucks will update its policy accordingly and may revise it should the pandemic worsen. “If vaccination rates rise and community spread slows, we will adapt accordingly. But if things get worse, we may have to consider additional measures,” John Culver, chief operating officer and North American group president at Starbucks, wrote in a Dec. 27 letter to employees.

NACS is recording a timely Convenience Matters podcast this week with Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel, and Jon Taets, NACS director of government relations. The episode will air the week of January 10. Listeners can search for and subscribe to Convenience Matters on their favorite podcast player.

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