Dozens of General Electric workers walkout to protest vaccine mandate

Dozens of General Electric (GE) workers staged a walkout in Greenville, S.C., over the company’s vaccine mandate.

There were around 150 to 200 mostly GE workers outside the facility on Thursday protesting against the vaccine mandate, Greenville News reported. 

The employees carried signs saying “I stand for medical freedom” and “coercion is not consent.”

“We worked as an essential employee through the entire COVID pandemic,” Shannon Harrill, an employee at the company for 20 years, told the local outlet. “We were required to be here and lose our job. Now you’re requiring me to take it to stay here.”

Other employees called on South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to fight against the federal vaccine order that is required for companies with more than 100 employees. 

GE has said they are complying with the federal health order from the Biden administration.

The company said all employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 in order to be in compliance with the federal decree.

Other companies in the area such as Lockheed Martin are also implementing a vaccine mandate due to the federal order, with protests previously occurring among their employees as well, according to Greenville News. 

When talking about the federal order earlier this month, McMaster said he would fight it to “the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”

Protests have erupted around the country over vaccine mandates, with every industry seeing some resistance to them. However, most companies that implemented vaccine mandates saw a majority of their employees comply. 

The Hill has reached out to GE and Lockheed Martin for comment.