Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our website.

40 companies demand meetings with White House over Biden’s vaccine mandates for 80 million workers

40 companies demand meetings with White House over Biden's vaccine mandates for 80 million workers 2

[ad_1]

More than 40 groups and individuals are requesting meetings with administration and Labor Department officials regarding concerns and confusion over Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandate for private companies.

Last month, President Biden issued an executive order requiring companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccines for their workers – only allowing exceptions for weekly testing.

While the Labor Department, specifically the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has not yet rolled out the new order for private companies, there is already a lot of confusion surrounding how businesses will implement and be regulated over the federal requirement.

Lobbyists, unionists and some private anti-coronavirus vaccine individuals are lining up to meet with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials and those at the Labor Department as the rule is finalized, according to The Washington Post. 

Forty different individuals and groups have requested meetings with administration officials at OMB and the Labor Department regarding concerns over Joe Biden's executive order requiring private companies with 100 workers to mandate vaccines

Forty different individuals and groups have requested meetings with administration officials at OMB and the Labor Department regarding concerns over Joe Biden’s executive order requiring private companies with 100 workers to mandate vaccines 

Labor Department Secretary Marty Walsh speaks at the White House on April 2

Acting OMB Director Shalanda Young appears before a Senate Budget Committee hearing on March 2

The Office of Management and Budget, acting director Shalanda Young pictured right), is finishing drafting the rule, which will be enforced by the Labor Department, Secretary Marty Walsh pictured left

Some groups who have requested meetings include the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA), the Corn Refiners Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the nation’s largest union federation.

Other companies who have requested meetings include Walt Disney, Stellantis, an auto conglomerate, and conservative think tanks Americans for Prosperity and the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

While federal officials are entertaining some of these meeting requests, they are not required to take all of them and can still release the rule whenever it is completed.

OMB is currently finalizing the rule, expected to be released in the next few wheels, which will be enforced by OSHA.

It is not typical for 40 groups to request meetings over an impending rule, which exhibits the increased interest in how the Biden administration crafts and implements the vaccine requirement that will affect at least 80 million U.S. workers.

The NLBMDA Director of Government Affairs stod the Post that most concerns over the new rule revolve around companies’ ability to retain workers in the labor shortage and financial concerns surrounding weekly testing.

‘The overwhelming majority of respondents said to us this is going to negatively impact their businesses and their ability to retain employees,’ Kevin McKenney of NLBMDA said.

He added many of the group’s member businesses are worried about the financial impact if they are required to pay for testing for employees who opt out of getting the jab.

‘Many of our members are concerned about the potential loss of employees,’ McKenney said. ‘Many have heard from their employees, who said they’d find employment elsewhere, or said we’re just going to go to another company to look for other work — that they’d rather leave than undergo the requirement.’

A workplace safety lawyer who met with OMB officials said he raised questions over payment of testing.

‘If you’re trying to get vaccine-resistant employees to get vaccinated, it would be crazy to require employers to pay for that testing option,’ Eric Conn said.

He was speaking on behalf of a coalition of businesses with thousands of workplaces nationwide, which generally supports vaccine requirements. During the meeting, Conn expressed that employers were unsure and felt uncomfortable with verifying vaccination status of their workers.

The Post heard from several who met or requested meetings with OSHA to ask they delay implementation until after the 2021 holiday season. 

The requirement comes in the midst of a labor shortage in the U.S. as unemployment levels remain relatively high after levels at the start of the pandemic reached record highs of 14.7%

The requirement comes in the midst of a labor shortage in the U.S. as unemployment levels remain relatively high after levels at the start of the pandemic reached record highs of 14.7%

These shortages are leading to supply chain issues and massive inflation. Shipping containers and ships are shown lined up at the Port of Los Angeles, where around half of all shipping containers entering the U.S., as truck delays ensue

These shortages are leading to supply chain issues and massive inflation. Shipping containers and ships are shown lined up at the Port of Los Angeles, where around half of all shipping containers entering the U.S., as truck delays ensue

Biden promised for months that his administration would not impose a vaccine mandate outside the confines of federal workers.

He broke that promise in September when announcing an executive order that requires workers at private companies with at least 100 workers to get the jab or else be subject to weekly testing.

Many companies, however, are not opting for the testing exception because it is unclear how that will be paid for.

Others appear to object to these requirements in the midst of a massive economic crisis, including supply chain issues and backlogs and labor shortages in the prevailing pandemic.

Unemployment remains at 4.8 per cent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed earlier in October.

At the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, the unemployment rate reached a historic high of 14.7 per cent – the latest numbers are the lowest since that point.

The BLS also released in its report that the U.S. added a disappointing 194,000 jobs in September.

[ad_2]

About The Author