Sep 29, 2021 - Economy

AT&T mandates COVID vaccination for most unionized workers

Rebecca Falconer

A man walks with an umbrella outside of AT&T corporate headquarters on March 13, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. — Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

AT&T expanded its COVID-19 vaccine mandate Wednesday to employees who are members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union.

Why it matters: The communications giant is one of the biggest employers in the U.S. to require frontline workers to be vaccinated against the virus. The union said it represents some 90,000 AT&T workers, per AP.

The big picture: The Dallas-based company said in a statement on Wednesday that unionized works must be vaccinated by Feb. 1 "unless they get an approved job accommodation."

AT&T had previously required most managers to be vaccinated by Oct. 11.

Of note: Unlike the Biden administration's federal vaccine mandate for large employers, AT&T is not giving employees the option to get tested weekly instead of being inoculated.

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AT&T mandates COVID vaccination for most unionized workers

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