11,000 Boeing employees, nearly 9% of its US workforce, have asked to be exempt from the company's vaccine mandate, report says

• More than 11,000 of Boeing's US employees have asked to be exempt from the vaccine mandate, sources told Reuters.
• The company has received more vaccine exemption requests than it had expected, sources told Reuters.

Nearly 9% of Boeing's US workforce has requested an exemption to the planemaker's vaccine mandate, much more than the company had expected, Reuters first reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

More than 11,000 workers have requested the exemption on religious or medical grounds, the people told Reuters. The company had been expecting vaccine exemptions from around 2% of the workforce, Reuters cited sources as saying.

Boeing executives are desperate to find a solution that keeps staff protected from COVID-19 and complies with the Biden administration's vaccination mandate, but also prevents many people leaving the company, the people told Reuters.

President Joe Biden's vaccine rules, which apply to the federal government workforce and anybody working for a company with more than 100 employees, will take effect on January 4, the White House announced on Thursday.

Out of 11,000 people looking for exemptions, those requesting a religious exemption hit more than 10,000, one person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Another person told Reuters more than 11,300 staff members have filed a religious exemption.

Around 1,000 workers have filed a medical exemption, another person familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Boeing said last month that it would require its 125,000 US workers to get vaccinated, according to an earlier story from Reuters.

Boeing says on its website that it employs more than 140,000 people worldwide.

A company spokesperson told Insider that the firm is "committed to maintaining a safe working environment for our employees, and advancing the health and safety of our global workforce is fundamental to our values."

Boeing pushed back its deadline for all workers to get vaccinated, or tested regularly if they receive exemptions, by one month to January 4, according to a company email seen by Reuters, and to industry sources who spoke with the newswire.

IAM District 751, Boeing's labor union, said on its website that the company's vaccine deadline was originally December 8, but has been delayed until January 4.

"Anyone who has not received their final dose or been approved for an accommodation, and registered their vaccination status by Jan. 4, will be issued a final warning, and will be expected to promptly come into compliance if they wish to remain employed at Boeing," the company email said, cited by Reuters.

Employees who have exemptions from the mandate will be required to wear a face mask, socially distance, and regularly test for COVID-19, the Boeing email said, per Reuters.