While the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced its opposition to the Department of Labor’s vaccination rules issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week, Attorney General Schmitt filed suit.
Under the OSHA guidelines, employers with a minimum of 100 employees must develop, implement and enforce a COVID-19 vaccination policy. Company owners have the option to allow unvaccinated employees to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering while on the job.
In the meantime, on Saturday, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit issued a temporary stay on President Joe Biden's vaccination policy for private sector employers.
“The Missouri Chamber opposes this onerous new federal mandate,” said Daniel P. Mehan, President/CEO of the Missouri Chamber. “Each workplace is different and employers have long held the right to establish vaccine policies that work for their businesses.”
On Nov. 5, Schmitt led a coalition of 11 states in filing a complaint against President Joe Biden’s administration alleging that the federal vaccine mandate imposed on private employers is unlawful.
Other states that joined Missouri in the legal action include Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Iowa.
“The federal government should not be forcing private employers to require their employees to get vaccinated or foot the cost to test those employees weekly,” Schmitt said in a statement online. “Local business owners have told me that the vaccine mandate would decimate their businesses, including some that have been around for decades, and they’re certainly not alone – there are thousands of businesses in Missouri alone that could be negatively affected by this mandate. That’s why I’m taking Joe Biden and his administration to court – to protect personal freedoms, preserve Missouri businesses, and push back on bureaucratic tyrants who simply want power and control.”
The emergency temporary standard does not require employers to pay for testing or provide and pay for face coverings. Fully remote and outdoor workers are exempt from the vaccine mandate.
OSHA’s policy expands upon and upholds the rules that were initially announced two months ago by the Biden Administration.
“In contrast with the Biden Administration’s approach, we believe the federal government should instead cooperate with the employer community to encourage vaccination and support employers that exercise their legal right to require vaccination. It’s unfortunate that this new federal policy will likely further divide public sentiment around COVID-19 vaccination,” Mehan said.
The Missouri Chamber implemented a COVID Stops Here voluntary initiative that encourages employers to offer employees accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines and recognizes workplaces vaccinated at certain percentage milestones.
“We need more Missourians to get vaccinated so that we can put this pandemic behind us for good,” Mehan said previously.