Listen to MI Business

Biden administration withdraws Covid vaccine mandate for businesses after losing Supreme Court case Workplace safety regulator OSHA said it is pulling the vaccine and testing rules for businesses effective Wednesday.

Starbucks nixes vaccine mandate after Supreme Court ruling On Jan. 3, Starbucks said it would require all employees to be vaccinated by Feb. 9 or face a weekly COVID test requirement.

Job creators need flexibility to make the best choices for their circumstances, not one-size-fits-all mandates.

GE Halts, Honeywell Keeps Vaccine Policy After High Court Ruling General Electric Co. is suspending implementation of the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers while another industrial heavyweight, Honeywell International Inc., will stick to its policy.

“We strongly support the United States Supreme Court’s decision to block the federal vaccine or test mandate,” said Wendy Block, vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Chamber and spokesperson for the Listen to MI Business Coalition, which had urged Biden to reverse the mandate before it headed into the courts."

High Court blocks COVID vaccine mandate for business, allows in healthcare | Bridge Michigan The U.S. Supreme Court said the Biden order overreached in covering every large business, regardless of risk. Healthcare workers are a different matter, the court decided.

“With this mandate, what we really were voicing concerns about were the unintended consequences associated with it,” said Wendy Block of Listen to MI Business. “Just the logistical challenges that went along with this. The challenges that convincing vaccine-hesitant or vaccine-resistant employees to get vaccinated and this very real concern about how employees in this labor market could very well quit their jobs.”

Supreme Court blocks vaccine mandate for large businesses, not healthcare workers In a 6-3 ruling, the conservative majority court says the president lacks the unilateral power to impose this mandate and that OSHA does not have the authority to enforce it.

“Other chambers and business associations also said they were pleased with the Supreme Court ruling, including the Michigan Manufacturers Association and the Listen to MI Business coalition, which includes several business chambers from around the state.”

Michigan employers won't need to mandate vaccine-or-testing after Supreme Court ruling The ruling is a win for conservatives and others who challenged the authority to make such a rule, but critics say the decision is dangerous.

Welcome news from the U.S. Supreme Court this afternoon given the unintended consequences and how Michigan businesses would or could implement OSHA’s sweeping and logistically, incredibly complicated vaccine mandate. MI Chamber’s VP of Business Advocacy & Engagement, Wendy Block, weighs in:

Wendy Block of Listen to MI Business and Michigan Chamber of Commerce tells FOX 17's Aaron Parseghian FOX 17 that Michigan's business community supports the Supreme Court's decision on the Biden employer mandate.

Listen to MI Business’ Wendy Block talks to FOX17 about the US Supreme Court employer mandate ruling

“This ruling is a huge sigh of relief for many Michigan businesses that were on edge about this unprecedented attack on employer rights and still very uncertain about how they would or could implement the sweeping vaccine mandate.”

Michigan businesses react to Supreme Court rejecting vaccine mandate: ‘It’s back to the drawing board’ Businesses with 100 or more employees will not be federally mandated to have a vaccine policy.

Michigan Chamber of Commerce's Wendy Block: “We strongly support the United States Supreme Court’s decision to block the federal vaccine or test mandate on employers with 100 or more employees. The court fully acknowledged the sweeping and disruptive nature of OSHA’s vaccine mandate and the numerous complexities associated with its implementation. We will continue to encourage vaccines and the necessity of maintaining thoughtful safety protocols in the workplace.”

ListentoMIBuisness ListentoMIBusiness is a coalition of employers leading the way to an economic recovery.

Michigan Chamber of Commerce's Wendy Block talks to WDIV's Mara MacDonald about the U.S. Supreme Court decision to block the Biden vaccine mandate on employers.

Listen to MI Business' Wendy Block on U.S. Supreme Court Blocking OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard Wendy Block talks about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the OSHA vaccine mandate on employers is not permissible.

“The U.S. Supreme Court's six conservative justices expressed doubt during oral arguments Friday about the Biden administration's authority to require that more than 80 million workers nationwide get a COVID vaccine or get tested regularly.”

Conservative Supreme Court questions vaccine mandate authority The High Court is considering an emergency stay on the rule that is set to go into effect in part on Monday.

“Even Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last month admitted vaccine mandates would be a “problem for all of us.”

Editorial: High Court should strike down shot mandates At the heart of this debate is just how much authority federal agencies have to apply such sweeping orders.

Federal agency asking for relief from mandate:

“In a letter to OSHA, the Postal Service says its ability to deliver the mail would be hurt because employees would either leave over the mandate or be disciplined for disobeying it”

Postal Service asks for temporary waiver from Biden vaccine requirement In a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Postal Service says its ability to deliver the mail would be hurt because employees would either leave over the mandate or be disciplined for disobeying it.

“The United States Postal Service says it wants an exemption to the federal vaccine-or-test mandate because it could hinder its ability to deliver mail. The rule could have a “catastrophic” effect on delivery, the deputy postmaster general said.”

nyti.ms/3pZnatK

U.S. Postal Service wants a waiver from the federal vaccine requirement. Covid News: C.D.C. Advises Pfizer Boosters for Children Ages 12 and OlderTeachers in Chicago stayed away from work Wednesday, saying a poor official response to Omicron left classrooms unsafe, as families rushed to line up child care.Published Jan. 5, 2022Updated Jan. 6, 2022, 6:51 a.m. ETFollow our...

“The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Friday on whether President Biden’s vaccination-or-testing mandate for private employers can take effect as scheduled Monday, with weekly testing for unvaccinated employees starting Feb. 9.”

Michigan employers have to be ready when Supreme Court decision on vaccine mandate drops The Supreme Court on Jan. 7 is scheduled to hear arguments on whether Biden’s vaccination-or-testing mandate can take effect as scheduled on Jan. 10.

“an epidemiologist at Michigan State University said it was possibly too late for employers or the government to compel the unvaccinated with a mandate…government pressure to get vaccinated might actually be having the opposite effect...”

See Where 12 Million U.S. Employees Are Affected by Government Vaccine Mandates A New York Times analysis shows that thousands of public employees in every state are subject to federal, state or city vaccine mandates — but these requirements have not provided a significant boost to overall vaccination rates.

After the costs, preparations, staff time, struggle to find tests, tracking results under treat of fines, office tensions and lost employees while implementing the mandate, what if…it doesn’t even accomplish its stated goal?

New York Times: "Government orders requiring vaccines have expanded across the U.S. but haven’t significantly boosted overall vaccination rates, our analysis found. Meanwhile, at least 49,000 people have left jobs or been punished at work because they did not comply."

See Where 12 Million U.S. Employees Are Affected by Government Vaccine Mandates A New York Times analysis shows that thousands of public employees in every state are subject to federal, state or city vaccine mandates — but these requirements have not provided a significant boost to overall vaccination rates.

Supreme Court to Hold Special Hearing on Biden Vaccine Mandates Challengers say vaccination or testing requirements at large employers and for health care workers were not authorized by Congress.

"There's a lot of thing of things employers need to do to prepare. We understand it's still in legal limbo, but it's better to be prepared," said Andy Johnston who is the VP of Governmental Affairs for the Grand Rapids Chamber."

Michigan business groups support vaccines but against vaccine mandates in the workplace FLINT, Mich. - The federal government's vaccine mandate will go into effect on January 10. This comes after a ruling in the Sixth Circuit Court lifting the pause on the mandate. It applies to businesses with 100 employees or more. Employees will be required to get a vaccine or do weekly COVID-19 tes...

“There is a big concern not only...losing employees, but also losing productivity because of testing. We all know that, that our system for testing is already strained to the max even before we have a weekly testing mandate," said Brian Calley of the Small Business Association of Michigan.

Michigan business groups support vaccines but against vaccine mandates in the workplace FLINT, Mich. - The federal government's vaccine mandate will go into effect on January 10. This comes after a ruling in the Sixth Circuit Court lifting the pause on the mandate. It applies to businesses with 100 employees or more. Employees will be required to get a vaccine or do weekly COVID-19 tes...

"The Michigan Chamber of Commerce led a coalition of business groups urging Biden to drop the mandate, contending government shouldn’t make decisions for private employers. They said they feared businesses, already facing a shortage of workers, would lose many more if the mandate takes effect."

Michigan companies await final legal verdict on Biden vaccine mandate | Bridge Michigan If upheld in court, about two million Michigan workers will be affected by a Biden administration edict that requires large workplaces to ensure workers are vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. Supreme Court may soon jump in to decide the matter.

Listen to MI Business coalition member Wendy Block, of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, on Friday's federal court decision to lift the stay on the federal OSHA vaccine mandate on Michigan job creators.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3Fgrzh0

What we've been saying from the start: "For companies struggling to meet OSHA’s standards because of testing shortages, the Labor Department said Sunday that it would “consider refraining from enforcement” if the employer has shown a good-faith effort to comply."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/business/company-vaccine-mandates-biden.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Whiplash on U.S. Vaccine Mandate Leaves Employers ‘Totally Confused’ Companies are struggling to figure out what to do as legal battles and rising Covid cases complicate their plans. Even up in the air: What does “fully vaccinated” mean?

New Detroit News polling:

Biden's vaccine mandate for businesses is opposed by voters, 54% - 41%.

Independents oppose the mandate 58% to 34%.

"If you've noticed, Gov. Whitmer has pulled away from the mandate issue and her numbers are much stronger as a result," Czuba said."

Michigan voters worried about inflation, but secure in own finances, poll finds A majority of Michigan residents are concerned about inflation and the future of the nation's economy, but are secure in their own personal finances and job stability

"Breaking: Amtrak suspends vaccine mandate and no longer expects to have to cut some service in January"

davidshepardson on Twitter “Breaking: suspends vaccine mandate and no longer expects to have to cut some service in January”

The Wall Street Journal: "The Administration ignored the law. It is getting crushed in court."

Opinion | Biden’s Federal Vaccine Mandate Wipeout The Administration ignored the law. It is getting crushed in court.

JUST IN: "The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a Republican measure that would overturn President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine or test mandate for private businesses, with two Democrats joining Republicans to back the initiative."

U.S. Senate passes Republican bill to overturn Biden vaccine mandate The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a Republican measure that would overturn President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine or test mandate for private businesses, with two Democrats joining Republicans to back the initiative.

BREAKING: "The (U.S.) Senate voted Wednesday night to overturn President Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine or testing mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees."

Senate votes to overturn Biden vaccine mandate for businesses The Senate voted Wednesday night to overturn President Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine or testing mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees.

The Listen to MI Business coalition submitted official comments on President Biden's vaccine mandates on Michigan's employers. It would have been constructive to have had the opportunity to offer input BEFORE the mandate was handed down and courts intervened. Read more below.