Some Micron workers say they won’t follow vaccination mandate. Here’s what they face
Micron Technology Inc. says its COVID-19 vaccination mandate is going well, with more than 9 in 10 of the Boise memory-chip maker’s U.S. workers vaccinated as the Nov. 15 deadline to comply nears.
But a number of Micron employees say they’re willing to be fired rather than comply.
The workers have until Nov. 15 to prove they’ve been vaccinated or face being placed on unpaid leave. The company, which employs 6,300 people in Boise, says it will then give employees until late January to change their minds before facing termination.
Back in August, Micron announced that all new employees would be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before beginning work. Existing employees would be allowed to undergo weekly testing if they weren’t vaccinated.
A couple of weeks later, the company changed its mind and ordered all workers and contractors to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15 or they’d be placed on leave and eventually lose their jobs.
“Micron’s top priority remains the health and safety of our global team members, contractors and the communities in which we operate,” Micron said in a statement. “Because we believe that vaccines are the best tool available today to protect our workforce and local communities from the spread of COVID-19, we are aiming for all U.S. contractors who must work inside our buildings to conduct their jobs, and all U.S. team members, to be vaccinated against COVID-19, aside from approved, confidential medical and religious exceptions.”
Sixty-three Micron employees say they oppose the mandate, according to a website, “Resist Micron,” set up to urge employees to “resist Micron’s unethical vaccine mandate.” Micron, the website says, is “threatening employee careers to promote their political and sanctimonious agenda.”
Five company employees in Boise, including engineers and a mid-level manager, told the Idaho Statesman that they object to the mandate to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on religious and medical grounds.
In seeking exemptions, they said the company asks personal questions about religious beliefs and medical histories that an employer wouldn’t be able to ask on an employment application or in a job interview.
The workers said they did not want to be publicly identified because they fear for their jobs.
One employee who did go on the record is Shane Bunker, who works at the company’s Manassas, Virginia, factory. Bunker, who said he is vaccinated against the coronavirus, said he works closely with two unvaccinated workers, and that hasn’t caused any safety issues.
One of Micron’s core values is “People, we care about each other,” Bunker said by email. With its mandate and the prospect of firing a number of workers, Micron isn’t living up to that value, he said.
“The way the company treats the unvaccinated employees is dehumanizing,” Bunker said. “Firing the unvaccinated employees is a hateful, hurtful act. It looks like the company doesn’t consider the unvaccinated employees people.”
Bunker said he doesn’t feel threatened by unvaccinated employees, because Micron has COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
“We complete a daily survey, check our temperature twice a day, wear a mask, keep 6 feet apart from other team members, wear a tracking device, and now we are required to get tested weekly,” he said.
“Small number” of workers seek vaccination exemptions
Micron declined to say how many employees have sought religious or medical exemptions from the vaccination mandate.
“We do not publicly comment on team members’ individual exemption requests or personal situations,” spokesperson Moira Whalen said in an email.
A letter sent to employees Nov. 2 by Micron Vice President April Arnzen said a “small number of team members” had requested an exemption from the mandate.
Arnzen’s letter said 92% of the company’s U.S. workers have provided proof of receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.
“This tremendous accomplishment is well above the national COVID-19 vaccination rate in the United States, which is 58% for adults,” she wrote.
Employees placed on unpaid leave who change their minds and get vaccinated may return to work once they’re fully vaccinated, Arnzen wrote.
While on unpaid leave, the workers will continue to be covered by Micron’s health insurance plan and can obtain other company benefits. They are also eligible to use paid personal leave they’ve accrued.
They are also allowed to keep computers and other company-owned equipment while they are on leave, although they will not be able to access Micron’s computer network. Equipment would have to be returned if they are ultimately fired, according to a written FAQ provided by one of the workers.
One of Micron’scompetitors, Intel Corp., which employs more than 21,000 people in Oregon and is the state’s largest private employer, has recommended workers get vaccinated but has not mandated it. Worldwide, the company headquartered in California, has about 111,000 workers.
The company has feared workers would quit if they were required to get vaccinated.
OSHA order affects companies with at least 100 workers
Micron’s mandate predates the order issued Thursday, Nov. 4, by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,which requires companies that employ at least 100 workers to require vaccination or impose masking and weekly testing of unvaccinated employees. The rule, which President Joe Biden ordered in September, will cover an estimated 84 million workers.
Businesses that don’t comply by Jan. 4 could face fines of up to $13,653.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he plans to join a lawsuit to stop the OSHA rule. That would follow a separate lawsuit by Little and six other states led by Republican challenging another mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccines among federal contractors.
“Not surprisingly, President Biden is plowing forward with his OSHA rule to punish America’s businesses — yet another unprecedented federal overreach into the private sector,” Little said in a news release.
Slightly less than 40% of unvaccinated workers say they would leave their job if the COVID-19 vaccine were required, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
