The recent spread of the omicron variant among supply chain workers, sour weather and even a recall of bagged salads and vegetables have caused Americans to once again find barren shelves at supermarkets or retail stores.
While industry leaders hope this latest supply chain foul-up will be a short-term frustration, it comes amid the ongoing challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic: shipping delays, congestion at ports, labor shortages and more.
The number of people who voluntarily quit their jobs surged to 4.5 million in November, the U.S. Department of Labor’s monthly job openings and labor turnover survey said last week, indicating Americans are increasingly confident they can find better opportunities in the labor market.
Though the meatpacking industry has voluntarily instituted its own vaccine mandates to a great deal of success, Samson and some other industry leaders said they are concerned the vaccine mandate pushed by the Biden administration could make the labor problems worse because it would not allow them to hire unvaccinated workers.
Ed Cinco, director of purchasing at Schwebel’s Baking Co., said his company of about 800 employees in Ohio has struggled with labor shortages through the pandemic. He said “if the vaccine mandate goes through, it’s going to be bad” for his ability to hire and maintain his current workforce.
“I have people who work here that are not vaccinated that can retire and will retire if they force it,” he said. “When that happens, it’s going to be really bad.”
While industry leaders hope this latest supply chain foul-up will be a short-term frustration, it comes amid the ongoing challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic: shipping delays, congestion at ports, labor shortages and more.
The number of people who voluntarily quit their jobs surged to 4.5 million in November, the U.S. Department of Labor’s monthly job openings and labor turnover survey said last week, indicating Americans are increasingly confident they can find better opportunities in the labor market.
Though the meatpacking industry has voluntarily instituted its own vaccine mandates to a great deal of success, Samson and some other industry leaders said they are concerned the vaccine mandate pushed by the Biden administration could make the labor problems worse because it would not allow them to hire unvaccinated workers.
Ed Cinco, director of purchasing at Schwebel’s Baking Co., said his company of about 800 employees in Ohio has struggled with labor shortages through the pandemic. He said “if the vaccine mandate goes through, it’s going to be bad” for his ability to hire and maintain his current workforce.
“I have people who work here that are not vaccinated that can retire and will retire if they force it,” he said. “When that happens, it’s going to be really bad.”
MSN
www.msn.com
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