West Michigan's big three furniture manufacturers have announced that they will require employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in response to President Joe Biden's federal vaccine mandate.
MillerKnoll, Haworth and Steelcase are mandating all employees be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021.
The companies made the decision in order to maintain business with the government, which makes up a large percent of their business.
Haworth released a statement about the mandate on Thursday:
"The United States Federal Government recently issued a vaccine mandate, Executive Order 14042, for all federal contractors. Many US-based companies, including the major furniture manufacturers, must comply with this order. Haworth has a significant amount of business that is covered by this order and this business is fulfilled by great members at all locations. In order to protect those jobs, Haworth will be complying with this order.
Per the order, providing proof of vaccination or having a medical or religious exemption will be a condition of employment at Haworth as of the December 8th deadline. Haworth depends on its members and does not want to lose anyone due to these requirements. The company is working through this complicated process and providing support to help members either get vaccinated or have an approved allowed exemption."
MillerKnoll, which is part of Herman Miller, says it's the largest supplier of furnishings to the federal government. A MillerKnoll spokesperson released a statement regarding their decision:
“MillerKnoll, Inc. is the largest supplier of office furniture for the U.S. government. As a federal contractor, we are adhering to the mandate that requires all federal contractors to be vaccinated by December 8, 2021.”
MillerKnoll is offering employees up to four hours of paid time off to get vaccinated.
There will be medical and religious exemptions made but those who refuse to be vaccinated will no longer be employed.
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