[ti:US Employers Step Up Pressure on Unvaccinated People] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]U.S. employers have used information campaigns, extra money [00:05.76]and other persuasions to urge their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. [00:13.40]Now, a growing number are requiring employees [00:17.80]to get vaccinated or accept repeated testing. [00:23.52]The federal government, states of California and New York [00:27.52]and technology companies Google and Facebook [00:31.16]are all demanding vaccinations. [00:35.40]Some hospitals, universities, restaurants and entertainment places [00:41.32]have also started requiring COVID-19 vaccinations. [00:46.80]But the new measures are unlikely to affect many [00:51.08]of the millions of unvaccinated Americans. [00:56.00]Many of the companies requiring shots have mostly office workers [01:00.72]who are already largely vaccinated [01:03.36]and are not willing to work with those who are not. [01:08.76]Some major companies are avoiding vaccination requirements. [01:14.68]Food manufacturers and supermarkets, for example, [01:19.32]depend on workers who do not earn a lot of money. [01:24.68]They are concerned that requirements might drive away employees [01:29.96]and worsen labor shortages. [01:33.04]For example, Tyson Foods said about half of its 56,000 employees [01:40.88]in the U.S. have received shots after the company held [01:45.56]more than 100 vaccination events since February. [01:51.44]But the company said it has no plans [01:54.28]to require the others to get vaccinated. [01:58.96]Walmart and Amazon are also not requiring their workers [02:04.20]who are paid by the hour to get vaccinated. [02:08.56]However, Walmart said employees at its headquarters [02:13.52]will be required to get vaccinated by October 4. [02:18.80]The federal government is the largest employer in the United States. [02:24.76]President Joe Biden announced last week [02:28.28]that all federal workers must get vaccinated [02:32.00]or they face weekly tests and official travel bans. [02:37.44]The federal government has said it will pay for the costs of the weekly tests. [02:44.52]For other employers, insurance companies [02:47.96]might pay for testing at some workplaces but not others. [02:53.88]Biden's decision could influence other employers [02:57.68]to enact similar rules, said Brian Kropp. [03:03.00]He is chief of research at Gartner, a research and advisory company. [03:10.16]Kropp said some companies face difficult considerations [03:14.72]that go beyond laws and requirements. [03:19.20]Those considerations include deep resistance [03:22.84]to vaccines in many states where they operate. [03:27.80]Kropp added that companies like Walmart [03:31.16]might not be able to defend vaccine requirements for workers [03:36.04]while permitting shoppers to remain unvaccinated. [03:41.48]Stores have mostly avoided vaccine requirements for customers. [03:48.56]In studies by Gartner, fewer than 10 percent of employers have said [03:53.84]they plan to require all employees to be vaccinated. [03:59.48]But that might change because vaccination rates are not increasing [04:05.04]and fear of the delta variant of the coronavirus. [04:10.24]The Union Square Hospitality Group, [04:13.44]a group of New York City restaurants and drinking places, [04:17.68]is now requiring employees and customers [04:21.28]to be vaccinated by September 7. [04:25.44]The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, [04:28.88]a group of about 300 drinking places, made a similar decision. [04:35.68]In addition, hospitals and retirement homes [04:39.48]are increasingly requiring the vaccine. [04:44.12]At a hospital system in Houston, Texas, many employees [04:48.52]filed a legal case over a vaccination requirement. [04:53.80]But a judge dismissed the case, [04:56.56]and more than 150 employees who refused [05:00.36]to get the COVID-19 vaccine were dismissed or resigned. [05:06.84]Atria Senior Living operates more than 200 retirement [05:11.32]living communities across the U.S. [05:15.64]The company began to require vaccines for its employees in January. [05:22.92]Ninety-nine percent of Atria's 10,000 employees are now vaccinated. [05:30.16]And only a small number quit, [05:33.12]said company CEO and Chairman John Moore. [05:38.92]"Our residents deserve to live in a vaccinated environment. [05:43.68]Our staff deserves to work in a vaccinated environment," Moore said. [05:50.84]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM