IBM, American Air, Southwest Snub Abbott and Back Biden on Shots

International Business Machines Corp., American Airlines Group Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. will follow President Joe Biden’s mandate requiring that employees be vaccinated against Covid-19, defying an order from the Texas governor blocking such actions.

The decisions Tuesday set up an immediate challenge to Republican Governor Greg Abbott by three of the state’s largest employers. Companies with business operations in Texas have been caught between Abbott’s decree and a White House measure that says federal contractors must require the shots.

Greg Abbott

Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

“IBM is a federal contractor and must comply with federal requirements, which direct employees of federal contractors to be ...