- There were fights over lockdowns, then face masks, but now the battle over vaccine mandates appears to be heating up across the country. On September 9, President Biden announced a new mandate that would apply to businesses with 100 or more employees, which is expected to cover some 80M workers nationwide. While it won't go into effect until federal regulators issue a rule, the mandate is expected to happen soon (it's also separate from an order that targets federal contractors). Biden says vaccine mandates working as 23% of eligible Americans still unvaccinated.
- State level: Shortly after the directive was announced, Arizona became the first state to sue Biden over the workplace mandate, while Montana preempted the federal action by passing an anti-mandate law. Florida has also promised to challenge the Biden administration's rule in federal court, though a recent challenge in Maine (based on religious exemptions) was rejected by the Supreme Court, while a bill that would have banned employers from requiring employees to be vaccinated failed in the Texas Legislature. States are not the only ones responding to the mandate as corporations who are most affected by the order express their opinions. Boeing to require COVID-19 vaccinations for 125K U.S. employees.
- On Tuesday, General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) announced that they would comply with a Dec. 8 vaccine mandate deadline set by the Biden administration for companies that are federal contractors. Others, like UPS (NYSE:UPS) and Disney (NYSE:DIS) met with White House officials to discuss the private sector vaccine plan amid concerns it could worsen labor shortages and supply chain troubles. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines dropped a proposal to put unvaccinated staff on unpaid leave starting in December, while pilot labor unions have sought to block the mandates or sought alternatives such as regular testing.
- Proof of vaccination: Some cities, like NYC, San Francisco and New Orleans, have taken vaccine mandates one step further, requiring indoor businesses to ask for proof of a dose before giving service. Some backlash has grown in these areas as well, with an In-N-Out in Fisherman's Wharf briefly shut down by the health department for not enforcing the city's vaccine mandate. "We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government," said Arnie Wensinger, In-N-Out's chief legal and business officer. "This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive." Fracking firms fear vaccine mandates will worsen labor crunch.
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