President Joe Biden recently announced that he would be mandating about 100 million workers, or two-thirds of all US workers, in private businesses to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He made the announcement under a new Labor Department policy for businesses with 100 or more employees. There will not be any testing options and exemptions will be limited. Some businesses are even refusing to accept religious exemptions. Biden’s ratings continue to tank and this is just another reason why.
The Biden Administration has attempted to push the vaccine on every American, citing the Delta variant of COVID-19 as an indicator of an increase in infections. They’ve even announced vaccine mandates for some teachers and employees of healthcare facilities. The healthcare vaccine mandate would cover about 17 million workers while the mandate for teachers would apply to roughly 300,000 educators. The healthcare mandate will be implemented at facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid.
The Biden Administration has continued to call on governors to require vaccination mandates for all school teachers and staff, even though the spread of COVID-19 in schools has been minimal. While government agencies can regulate workplace safety guidelines, it is unclear if they can force vaccine requirements on anyone. But Biden has continued to push measures in the public and private sector to “fight the virus.”
Biden has even announced that he will have OSHA make a rule requiring employees to be tested, in which companies will have to cover the cost. Employees working exclusively with the federal government will not have the option to test. It’s the jab or gets fired.
The American Federation of Government Employees voiced their support in people getting vaccinated and said they expect to bargain over the change prior to implementation. They emphasized the urge to get everyone vaccinated “as soon as they can do so,” adding that every worker deserves a voice in their working conditions.
Other states, such as Florida, have continued to prohibit local authorities from mandating mask and vaccine mandates. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will do whatever it takes to protect the rights of parents to make health decisions for their kids.
It doesn’t seem like many companies expect to fight the new Labor Department mandate. A senior administration official shared with reporters that workers could face “substantial fines” if they don’t comply. The official said that the federal workers will have about 75 days to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, adding that a failure to comply could result in the standard HR process of counseling and facing progressive disciplinary action.
Biden is also nailing down on airline travelers and those who refuse to wear masks on flights. He announced that he will double the federal fines for any mask guidance violation in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. This could cost up to nearly $14,000 per violation.
It’s hard to believe that back in July White House press secretary Jen Psaki was telling reporters that a federal vaccine mandate was not the “role of the government.” Now they are forcing American workers to comply with the jab or lose their job. Let the lawsuits begin.
