The CEO of legacy workwear and gear company Carhartt is getting massive blowback after declaring he will keep a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place for all workers despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring the Biden regime’s attempt to implement one for businesses with 100 or more employees null and void last week.
NPR reported:
On Friday, Carhartt CEO Mark Valade announced in an internal all-staff email that the company’s vaccine mandate — which went into effect for most of Carhartt’s 3,000 U.S.-based employees earlier this month — would stay in place despite the Supreme Court’s decision. The mandate includes exceptions for religious and medical reasons.
“We put workplace safety at the very top of our priority list, and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling doesn’t impact that core value,” Valade wrote. “An unvaccinated workforce is both a people and business risk that our company is unwilling to take.”
The move was praised by leftists who are much more comfortable with mandates and authoritarianism but blasted by liberty-minded conservatives who also called for a boycott of the company, which has seen its clothing profile raised in recent years as younger Americans take to the brand but which has clothed construction and utility workers, farmers, and others who work outdoors in tough jobs.
“Pretty rich from a company sustained by the ranchers, farmers, laborers, etc. who make this country great and celebrate her values of freedom and liberty. Boycott Carhartt until they break,” tweeted Molly McCann, a conservative lawyer who once represented former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Well @Carhartt has labelled the unvaccinated dangerous and implemented a vaccine mandate. Pretty rich from a company sustained by the ranchers, farmers, laborers, etc. who make this country great and celebrate her values of freedom and liberty.
Boycott Carhartt until they break.
— Molly McCann (@molmccann) January 18, 2022
Another Twitter user labeled Carhartt’s vaccination stance “insane given their target market” and while claiming they were “done purchasing any of their stuff.”
I spend thousands a year on @Carhartt hoodies, jackets & winter gear. Today that ends. I guess I am looking for alternatives. Seriously, this is insane given their target market. I am done purchasing any of their stuff and giving them thousands in free advertising. pic.twitter.com/kyHaNwlO6c
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) January 18, 2022
“Went from ‘Buy Carhartt’ to ‘Bye Carhartt’ real quick!
Went from “Buy Carhartt” to “Bye Carhartt” real quick!
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) January 18, 2022
“Carhartt made the decision to implement its own vaccine mandate as part of our long-standing commitment to workplace safety,” the company said in an emailed statement to NBC News, justifying the decision. “Our recent communication to employees was to reinforce that the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the mandate we put in place.”
The company noted further that it “fully understands and respects the varying opinions on this topic, and we are aware some of our associates do not support this policy.”
The statement noted further that said that it has extended the vaccination deadline to February 15.
“We stand behind our decision because we believe vaccines are necessary to protect our workforce,” the statement continued.
NBC News attempted to imply that conservatives who are generally pro-corporate independence and anti-government mandates are attacking a company for making its own decision regarding an employee requirement. But of course, the network’s report said nothing about the left’s hypocrisy in demanding bodily autonomy for other reasons (abortion comes to mind) while now demanding that Americans have no say whatsoever regarding a vaccine they oppose for various reasons — and one that researchers have found could be having a more profound deleterious health effect than previously disclosed.
In any event, as the left calls for Americans to vote with their pocketbooks over this and other issues, it seems logical that the right should do so as well.
