$500 to meet a COVID vaccine mandate. How many Stanislaus court employees got it?
In August the Stanislaus Superior Court notified its employees they would be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine and offered them $500 in retention pay as an incentive to comply.
On Thursday — the deadline by which the court’s 234 employees had to get the jab — 85% had complied, said Court Executive Officer Hugh Swift. That is up from 60% when the court announced the requirement.
“We feel that the increase in the number of vaccinated employees was significant,” Swift said. “We appreciate the employees’ willingness to get vaccinated because it allows us to continue to provide the services we provide the public and it makes this a safer workplace. Hopefully it has an impact on the community at large.”
Of the remaining 37 employees who did not get the vaccine, 25 received religious or medical exemption and seven are currently out on leave and will have to meet the court’s policy when they return to work.
The remaining five employees who did not provide proof of vaccination or get an exemption by Thursday received a notice of disciplinary action and were put on paid leave. They have 10 days to appeal the decision, Swift said.
The 25 employees who received exemptions will be subject to twice-weekly testing.
Only employees who got the vaccine were eligible for the $500 retention pay, which came out of the court’s operating budget.
Swift said the mandate also applies to 109 independent contractors, mostly interpreters but also some private security and janitorial staff. He said 79 of those contractors got the vaccine and the remainder will no longer be able to work in the courts.
Employers, mostly starting with the healthcare industry, began mandating the vaccines earlier this year and Stanislaus Court was among the first courts in the state to make the move. President Joe Biden in September announced a nationwide mandate for employers with more than 100 employees, but it is still undergoing a lengthy rule-making process.
Employers across the county have offered some kind of financial incentive to encourage employees to get vaccinated. They range from time off or reimbursement for travel to get the shots to considerable bonuses. The financial-assets management company Vanguard is offering its 16,500 employees $1,000 bonuses for getting vaccinated, according to Fortune Magazine.
In Stanislaus County, 55 percent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, according to the county COVID-19 dashboard.
Manteca also offers employee incentive
The Manteca City Council on Tuesday approved a $400 COVID-19 vaccine incentive for some city employees who show proof of full vaccination by Dec. 15. About 240 employees are eligible and the program will cost Manteca about $200,000 in federal coronavirus relief from its American Rescue Plan Act allocation of $13.7 million.
Executive management, members of two mid-managers unions and non-represented full-time employees qualify for the incentive but the city is not requiring the vaccines at this point. Other city employee unions can agree to the incentive, which aims to help reach the federal goal of a 70% vaccination rate.
City employees have a 52% vaccination rate, per the staff report, while 72% of eligible Manteca residents are fully vaccinated as of San Joaquin Public Health data reported last week.
