VF Corporation, parent company of Vans, Supreme, The North Face, and Timberland, will apparently fire nonexempt unvaccinated employees come February.
Following Nike’s lead, which took into effect this weekend, VF Corporation announced employees who were unvaccinated would be terminated without severance starting January 31, 2022. Staff was notified via email of the policy.
Putting its foot down —
The company fired its first warning in October, telling employees through an internal email that it was required for all office-based U.S. employees to have the COVID-19 vaccine in the new year. Employees could be waived from the mandate if they had an approved medical exemption, sincerely held religious belief, or other state or local law exemption by January 1.
According to an email from VF senior director of corporate affairs Colin Wheeler Outside Business Journal, “If any associate does not have proof of an accommodation by January 1, they will be prevented from accessing our facilities and will be required to work from home.”
The email then notes that if accommodations aren’t approved by January 31, employees would be “separated from the company and will not receive severance.” While the rule only applies to office-based employees in the US, VF Corp plans to apply the vaccine requirement to all of its other US associates — though it’s still unclear whether it will affect retail workers.
Some employees put up a fight though, as about 30 employees at Vans California headquarters protested the mandate last month. The protesters left handwritten notes and their Vans shoes on the office complex’s courtyard to express their distaste for the new rule. “Where’s the ‘family’ now?” read one note. “Nobody should be forced to decide between getting a shot that doesn’t work and feeding their family,” read another. “Vaccinations are not one size fits all.”
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against requiring companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations or weekly tests, though the ruling doesn’t eliminate the possibility of states or individual employers from having their own vaccine or testing requirements.
Columbia Sportswear, Under Armour, Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue and TJX Companies are some of the other businesses requiring vaccinations for their staff. COVID has touched nearly every aspect of society, and though vaccinations are still met with reservations, it’s not completely unfair for companies to take precautions. Whether employees are willing to oblige is another story.
