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Alaska Railroad to require vaccinations

By Trains Staff | October 26, 2021

| Last updated on April 4, 2024


In letter to employees, CEO cites potential ‘substantial harm’ in not complying with federal order

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Circular Alaska Railroad logoANCHORAGE, Alaska — Telling employees it does not have a choice because of a federal executive order, the Alaska Railroad has announced a vaccine requirement for its employees and set a Dec. 8 deadline for workers to be fully vaccinated.

The website Must Read Alaska has published a letter to railroad employees from CEO Bill O’Leary in which O’Leary writes that disregarding the executive order “could cause substantial legal, regulatory, and financial harm to our organization, and ultimately, to our workforce.”

Employees will have until Nov. 24 to seek an exemption for religious reasons or medical disability; those who are not vaccinated by Dec. 8, do not have an exemption, or are not in the process of seeking one, “will no longer meet the requirement to continue employment” with the railroad, the letter says.

The letter also says the notification triggers bargaining with unions over the effects of the requirement, but that the bargaining “does not eliminate the vaccination requirement or alter the Dec. 8 deadline.”

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have also cited the executive order, which covers federal contractors, in enacting vaccine requirements.

6 thoughts on “Alaska Railroad to require vaccinations

  1. The mandate is completely illegal. There is no FDA approved vaccine available in the US. The vaccines we’re approved for use under EUA which means one has the choice to take it or not. There is no legislative authority for the mandate. OSHA has issued no regulations. Vaccines do not stop the spread only lessen the symptoms. Natural immunity is far superior and there is no exceptions made for previously infected. And why does the Post Office and Congress get a pass? This is all about power and money. Nothing more.

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