Ford to require salaried employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8

• Ford told employees they will be put on unpaid leave if they do not get vaccinated.
• More than 84% of employees are already vaccinated.

Ford Motor Company has informed some 32,000 salaried employees that they will need be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8.

The policy, first reported by CNBC, was announced in a message to employees this week. According to the company, more than 84% of salaried workers are already vaccinated. Those who fail to get vaccinated by the newly announce deadline will be placed on unpaid leave for up to 30 days.

"The health and safety of our workforce remains our top priority," Ford spokesperson Monique Brentley said in a statement provided to Insider.

The mandate does not apply to more than 50,000 hourly employees at Ford, who are represented by the United Auto Workers. That group will ultimately be subject, at a minimum, to the vaccine-or-weekly-testing requirement being developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"The UAW position is and has been that we strongly encourage members to get vaccinated but understand that there are reasons such as health and religion that people need to opt out," Brian Rothenberg, a UAW spokesperson, told Insider. An estimated 56,000 Ford employees are part of the union, he said, though the number fluctuates.

The company's policy brings it in compliance with the Biden administration's requirement, announced in September, that federal government contractors be vaccinated by early December.

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