Chapman’s responds to pay raise backlash from anti-vaccine groups

KITCHENER -

Chapman's Ice Cream has announced it will be giving fully vaccinated employees a pay raise at the end of the month, a move meant to encourage people to get their shots.

But some anti-vaccine groups are now calling for a boycott of the Canadian company.

"We've never been subject to such aggression," said vice-president Ashley Chapman.

He calls the backlash unwarranted, considering the pay raise was an incentive and not a mandatory vaccine policy.

"We should just do the right thing and try to positively encourage those that haven't gotten vaccinated to get vaccinated," he said.

Chapman's is a family-run company based out of Markdale.

About 85 of their 850 employees have yet to get their shots, but they are allowed to keep working as long as they get a rapid COVID-19 test at least twice a week.

"We just want to have empathy and compassion for people who believe differently than we do, and should be given a chance to earn gainful employment," added Chapman.

Five employees have refused to follow the new protocol and are currently on unpaid leave.

Chapman's expects three of them to return to work next week.

Neena Gupta, an employment lawyer with Gowling WLG, said Chapman's has every right to choose its own compensation policy.

"Subject to some restrictions, [like] obviously the minimum wage Employment Standards Act, you can't discriminate on the basis of gender or sex."

She adds that those against vaccinations for reasons that are not medical or religious don't have a legal ground to stand on.

"The people who are refusing not to have vaccines because they're vaccine hesitant, are not confident about vaccines, those preferences are not protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code."

On social media, supporters of the company have starting using #IStandWithChapmans and promising to buy even more ice cream. That was in response to other users who were using #BoycottChapman and commenting that they would run it out of business.

"I wasn't particularly intimidated," said Chapman. "Just really saddened."

Chapman isn't worried about the company's bottom line, saying he know he's done the right thing.