Citigroup Vaccine Requirement Is Taking Effect

​Citigroup's requirement that all of its more than 200,000 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 kicked in Jan. 14. Employees who didn't comply by then were placed on unpaid leave and will be fired at the end of the month unless they receive an exemption. We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.

First Wall Street Institution with Strict Mandate

In October, Citigroup announced its plans to apply vaccination requirements. The bank is the first major Wall Street institution to adopt a strict vaccine mandate. Other major Wall Street banks—including Goldman Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co.—have told some unvaccinated employees to work from home but have not fired staff for not getting vaccinated.

(Reuters)

Largely Compliant Workforce

The bank reached 99 percent compliance with its mandate before Jan. 14, according to its head of human resources. That was up from 90 percent on Jan. 7. The figures excluded branch workers who had been given more time to comply, employees who received medical or religious accommodations and those who live in states that do not permit vaccine mandates.

(The New York Times)

Fired Workers Elsewhere

Some employers elsewhere have fired workers who have not followed vaccination requirements. The Mayo Clinic fired 700 employees on Jan. 4 for defying a company requirement to get vaccinated. United Airlines fired 232 employees for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Citigroup is headquartered in New York City, where private-sector employers are required to mandate vaccinations for their employees.

(CBS News)

LAPD Workers' Lawsuit Challenging Vaccine Policy Dismissed

A federal judge recently dismissed a civil lawsuit from Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) employees who protested the city's COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Last August, the city approved an ordinance requiring all city employees to be vaccinated by October. Exceptions would be made for those with a medical or religious exemption, but those employees would still be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing. There is "no fundamental right to continued governmental employment," the court said.

(CNN)

United's Policy Upheld

On Nov. 8, a U.S. federal district court in Fort Worth, Texas, upheld a United Airlines policy that requires workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or placed on unpaid leave if they have a medical or religious exemption.

(SHRM Online)