South Bay Best Buy Employees Get Vaccination Incentive, Bonus Pay

HAWTHORNE, CA —Best Buy employees in the South Bay will soon be rewarded if they get a coronavirus vaccine— in more ways than one, the company announced this week.

Any hourly employee who gets a vaccine will be offered additional sick time for potential side effects experienced from the vaccine shots, Best Buy officials said. They’ll also get some extra paid leave.

In addition, all U.S. hourly workers employed by the company as of Feb. 15, 2021, will get “a one-time bonus for the incredible work they’ve performed” during the last year.

"This has been a year like no other," a spokesperson from Best Buy said. The vaccine benefit and bonus are to "show gratitude for the resilience shown by our employees.”

Best Buy has over 1,000 large-format stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In Los Angeles County, Best Buy stores are located at:

• Culver City, 10799 Washington Blvd.
• Culver City Westfield, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd.
• West Los Angeles, 11301 W Pico Blvd.
• West Hollywood, 1015 N La Brea Ave.
• Sherman Oaks, 4500 Van Nuys Blvd.
• Plaza El Segundo, 740 S Pacific Coast Hwy.
• Hawthorne, 5000 W 147th St.
• Atwater Village, 2909 Los Feliz Blvd.
• Pacific Sales Burbank, 530 N Victory Blvd.
• Burbank, 1501 N Victory Pl.
• Compton, 1701 N Central Ave.
• Pacific Sales Woodland Hills, 6100 Variel Ave.
• Woodland Hills, 21601 Victory Blvd.
• Northridge, 19350 Nordhoff Way
• Compton, 230 Towne Center Dr.

Best Buy does not require that employees get vaccinated. However, the megastore chain says that they “strongly encourage” workers to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine for their own safety and the safety of their loved ones.

"The vaccine benefit is a thank you for employees who take the time to get vaccinated, not just because it helps keep them safe, but because it does the same for everyone they work with," a news release from the company says.

Part-time employees will get four hours of paid leave, and full-time employees will get eight hours, they said.

The "one-time" bonuses will range from $200 to $500.

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