Boeing dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for US employees after a court blocked Biden's mandate for federal contractors
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- Boeing said Friday it will no longer require the COVID-19 vaccine for its US employees.
- The company made the decision after a court blocked Biden's vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
- Almost 9% of Boeing's US workers had asked for vaccine exemptions, Reuters previously reported.
Boeing said Friday it would drop its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for employees in the US, Reuters reported.
The company said it decided to suspend the vaccine requirement after a judge last month blocked the enforcement of President Joe Biden's vaccine requirement for federal contractors.
In October, Boeing announced it would require its US workers to get vaccinated in order to comply with Biden's mandate.
The mandate caused protests from a "vocal minority" of workers with some saying they'd rather lose their job than get the vaccine, The Seattle Times reported.
Over 11,000 Boeing employees, nearly 9% of the US workforce, requested religious or medical exemptions to the vaccine requirement, Reuters previously reported.
It's not clear how many of those requests were honored, but the company said 92% of its employees in the US were either fully vaccinated or have exemptions from the mandate, The New York Times reported.
Boeing did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment but said in a statement to The Times: "After careful review, Boeing has suspended its vaccination requirement in line with a federal court's decision prohibiting enforcement of the federal contractor executive order and a number of state laws."
The note sent to employees still encouraged vaccinations, appearing to try and strike a balance between the pressure from employees who don't want to be required to get the shot and those who want to feel safe at work, The Times reported.
"According to the CDC, the vaccines are safe, effective and our best tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Dr. Laura Cain, Boeing's chief medical officer, said in the message, according to The Times. "I want to strongly encourage our employees to get vaccinated or get a booster if they have not done so to help protect their teammates, families, and communities."
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