Aldi Joins List of Companies Paying Workers To Get Vaccinated

Aldi is the latest retailer to announce they'll be paying their employees to get Covid-19 vaccinations.

Aldi US said yesterday, in a release, that it was "removing obstacles for its workers to access the COVID-19 vaccine, if they so choose."

"The company is working closely with state and local officials across the U.S. to ensure front-line workers remain prioritized, and today ALDI unveiled its plan to support employees. ALDI is ensuring that all hourly workers who wish to receive the vaccine are able to do so without concern about losing pay or taking time away from work. The company will cover costs associated with vaccine administration and will provide employees with two hours of pay for each dose they receive, up to four hours total, as well as scheduling flexibility for salaried employees." - Aldi US

How altruistic this move is can be debated, but it does sound like a smart business decision. Healthy employees, of course, mean a safer shopping environment for shoppers, but also healthy employees reduced the cost of medical care, and in turn insurance.

Just last week, Dollar General announced they would be compensating their employees who get the vaccine shot with the equivalent of four hours of pay for getting vaccinated. Trader Joe's also doing something similar.

But the next logical question is, what if employees don't choose to get vaccinated. The roll out of vaccinations is still in it's early stages, with first responder and elderly citizen the focus, but once we get into Spring, what are the legalities of a mandatory vaccination? There's a good chances, lawyers will be involved.