Boeing to Employees: Get Vaccinated by Dec. 8

The latest company to announce a vaccine mandate: Boeing. The aerospace company told employees Tuesday they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8, the Seattle Times reports. "Compliance with these requirements is a condition of employment," reads the internal message, and any unvaccinated workers without an "approved accommodation" will face termination. Exemptions may be granted for medical or religious reasons, but those employees will be subject to frequent COVID testing. The company says the mandate is necessary to comply with President Biden's September executive order requiring government contractors and subcontractors to mandate vaccination.

The Times notes that "a number" of Boeing's 125,000 US workers, 57,000 of whom live in Washington state, are opposed to the mandate, and opposition was also clear on Twitter, where some were comparing the safety of the vaccine to Boeing's safety problems related to the 737 MAX. Per KOMO News, the president of International Association of Machinists (IAM) District 751 has said members are "polarized" on the issue. Also a potential concern: 5,000 employees live in Texas, which just barred vaccine mandates. In order to be considered fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, the company says, employees must get their first dose of Moderna by Oct. 27, Pfizer by Nov. 3, or their single dose of Johnson & Johnson by Nov. 24. (More Boeing stories.)