The Biden administration is preparing to introduce a new federal rule that would require companies to mandate a vaccine for workers.
Last month, President Joe Biden Asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to write rules that mandate companies with more than 100 employees coronavirus Vaccinations or weekly tests for those in remission.
OSHA has finished writing the rule and the administration expects it to go into effect as soon as this week, CBS News informed of.
The rule would require employers to provide workers with paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from any side effects.
But business leaders are demanding from the administration that the mandate should be postponed till after the holidays.
The Biden administration is preparing to implement a new federal rule that would require companies to have a vaccine mandatory for workers
Biden is pushing for workers to be vaccinated or tested weekly for any company with more than 100 employees
The US Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the American Trucking Association and the Retail Industry Leaders Association have asked the White House to give businesses 90 days to comply with the order.
This will delay implementation until the end of January at the earliest.
OSHA, which falls under the Department of Labor, submitted its final draft of the rule to OMB on October 12. The mandate is expected to take effect soon after the review process is completed.
Some companies have already implemented their own deadlines for mandates in anticipation of the rules going into effect and the Labor Department to begin monitoring the issue.
In addition to trucking, retailers also worry that the mandate could trigger resignations in an industry even low on workers, according to a lobbyist at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Evan Armstrong.
“As you know, with supply chain conflicts, it’s already been a busy holiday season,” Armstrong told CNBC after meeting with White House officials last Monday.
‘It is a difficult policy to implement. In the festive season it will become even more difficult.
The Biden administration argues that any labor shortages are related to post-pandemic issues, not vaccine mandates.
“The labor shortage is coming out of the pandemic and then tackling it, but it’s not because of the vaccine mandate or requirements,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
Biden vowed earlier this year that he would never impose a vaccine mandate on private industry, but broke that promise last month by announcing a new mandate.