White House releases vaccine-requirement plans
The Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to require vaccines or test workers weekly.
In a pair of executive orders (EO) signed Sept. 9, 2021, President Joe Biden mandated COVID-19 vaccines for all federal employees as well as new guidance on pandemic safety protocols for federal contractors and subcontractors, according to the White House.
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has seven days to issue guidance on how federal agencies will implement the requirement. The vaccine mandate for federal employees will be subject to exceptions as required by law, according to the executive order.
Additionally, Biden announced during a White House briefing the Department of Labor is working to develop an emergency rule that will require all employers with 100 or more workers to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or show negative tests at least once a week.
The president also announced new employment rules to allow paid time off for those getting vaccinated.
“Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this. United Airlines, Disney, Tyson Foods and even Fox News,” Biden said. “We are going to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by increasing the share of the workforce that is vaccinated in businesses all across America.”
Previously, nursing home workers that treated patients on Medicare or Medicaid were required to be vaccinated. Biden announced this requirement will be extended to all hospitals, health care facilities and other medical facilities.
In total, the new vaccine requirements will cover about two-thirds of the U.S. workforce, according to the president.
In a separate EO, Biden announced all federal work contracts or “contract-like instruments” will include clauses stipulating that contractors and subcontractors will comply with all guidelines for workplace locations published by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force for the duration of the agreements. The task force has until Sept. 24, 2021, to issue its new guidance for contractors and subcontractors.
Biden alluded in his address that these contractor protocols will include vaccine mandates, noting: “If you want to do business with the federal government, vaccinate your workforce.”
The news comes on the heels of a Willis Towers Watson survey that found more than half of employers could have one or more vaccine mandates in place by the coming fourth quarter.
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