Amazon Paying U.S. Workers $40 to Get Vaccine Booster
Mark Di Stefano, The Information
Faced with the Omicron wave of infections, Amazon will pay its U.S. warehouse workers $40 to get the vaccine booster shot. One of the country’s biggest employers, Amazon is continuing to use financial incentives to ensure that low-paid hourly workers are fully vaccinated.
Monster Beverage to buy craft-beer maker in alcohol market drive
Reuters
Energy drinks maker Monster Beverage Corp is entering the alcoholic drinks market through a $330 million deal for craft beer and hard seltzer producer CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective LLC.
Microsoft to review harassment policies, including Gates allegations
Ina Fried, Axios
Microsoft said on Thursday that it is launching a review of its policies and practices regarding sexual harassment and gender discrimination, with plans to issue a public report expected this spring.
Instacart’s Prepared-Food Delivery Takes on DoorDash
Ad Age
Instacart Inc. is launching a service offering prepared foods from supermarkets in a bid to capture more customers and better compete in the hot market for meal delivery.
Veganuary’s Popularity in the US Spikes With 200 Brands, 95,000 American Participants
T.L. Stanley, Adweek
Veganuary, which encourages people to skip dairy and meat this month, continues to gain traction in the U.S. with 95,000 Americans taking the pledge so far, a double-digit increase from 2021’s participation.
Desk Salads Hit by Worst Inflation in U.S. With Romaine Prices Up 61%
Elizabeth Elkin and Leslie Patton, Bloomberg
Retail prices for lettuce are soaring more than any other food item tracked by the U.S. government, including meat. It all points to more expensive salads and higher costs for restaurants like Sweetgreen Inc. and Mexican restaurant chain Chuy’s Holdings Inc.
After Getting Omicron, People Live It Up a Little. ‘It Was Like “We Can Do This Now.” ’
Julia Carpenter and Alex Janin, The Wall Street Journal
Many of those who recovered are confident they have emerged with greater protection, judging from what they hear from some medical professionals. And they have emerged with a newfound desire to live it up.
For Remote Workers, the Sick Day Is Over
Ray A. Smith and Kathryn Dill, The Wall Street Journal
For those already working from home, the omicron variant’s milder symptoms and changing standards about what severity of illness merits a sick day mean that many Covid-infected workers are powering through, muting themselves on Zoom to cough, sneeze or blow their noses as they muddle through the day.
Omicron Hastens U.S. Restaurants’ Sales Drop, Bankruptcy Threat
Alicia Diaz, Bloomberg
Sales decreased at 98% of restaurants across the country in December, according to a poll of 1,169 restaurants conducted by the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Sales dropped by at least half at 58% of those surveyed, while 80% of restaurant owners said omicron impacted their operating hours.
Lacoste Snaps Back at M&S in Lawsuit Over Crocodile Trademark Spat
Ellen Milligan, Bloomberg
First caterpillars, now crocodiles — Marks & Spencer Group Plc is embroiled in another trademark battle over the shape of a creature.
Unionizing Starbucks, Inspired by Bernie Sanders
Noam Scheiber, The New York Times
The liberal workers the company has long attracted are expanding a union campaign to other cities after a landmark victory in Buffalo.
Ailing Amazon workers struggle to find Covid tests themselves
Louise Matsakis, NBC News
Some spend as long as nine hours trying to notify human resources that they’re sick.
