I can’t speak for your employer, but I’m in a similar boat as a federal employee. An internal email was leaked to our little group, but it’s not confirmed. The email outlines the steps of “discipline” that will take place for all the non-conformists, starting with several “conversations” at various levels, and ending in mandatory testing. it is very evident that, if this email is true, they do NOT want to let people go over this.
We basically should have a series of deadlines that will end in requiring non-vaccine people to get tested every 4 days starting in January, and at their own expense starting in April. No word on why they aren’t requiring the same testing protocol from vaxxed employees, given that they are at least as likely to carry and transmit the virus as the unvaxxed.
Anyway, I’m going to hold off as long as I can. I’m in a similar boat regarding retirement, and would like to hold off until next year also. I’m not even against testing, as long as I can do it at home and as long as it’s accurate. Frankly, I don’t want to go to work if I have the Rona, and if I get lucky enough to get a false positive, I get 14 days of paid sick leave time.
In our business, if the right key people get fired or leave, the power supply in the area would be in jeopardy. I’m in a critical function, but the people operating our 3 nuclear plants have even more leverage. There are regulations that mandate (I hate that word) minimum personnel requirements and levels of training for specific positions in those plants. If they can’t be met, the plant must be shut down, no way around it.
I’m just going to hang on and make them fire me. If they try to play the unpaid leave, I’ll just retire on the spot, then take them to court. Like yourself, I’m ready to go next year anyway. Was going to stay a lot longer, but I ran my numbers when this executive order came out and found out that I’m not in terrible shape (unless the left crashes the economy, which is their goal).
Are you a federal employee or a contractor, or a regular employee for a regular employer? That might have some leverage.