Confusion over Biden's vaccine mandate as 600,000 USPS workers will be pressed to 'comply' through Labor Department rules for private sector and NOT the federal vaccine mandate
United States Postal Service workers who thought they were exempt from President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for all federal workers will not be able to avoid getting the jab after all.
But how the process will go into effect for the more than 600,000 USPS employees remains muddled as the White House sent out a clarification hours after Biden's speech on Thursday, explaining that the USPS would follow the vaccine and testing guidelines of a private company, according to a White House official.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that the USPS was exempt from the mandate for public workers due to its status as an independent agency of the executive branch.
'USPS has a separate statutory scheme and is traditionally independent of federal personnel actions like this,' the Biden administration official said.
'That said, USPS is strongly encouraged to comply. Also, [the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration] will cover USPS through the [emergency temporary standards], meaning that postal workers will be subject to the vaccination or testing policy announced today.'
This means rather than being treated like a federal agency, the USPS would follow the rules of private businesses after Biden ordered workers at companies with more than at least 100 employees to get vaccinated or tested weekly.
About 600,000 U.S. Postal Service employees will be exempt from the vaccine mandate for federal workers. Pictured, a mail carrier delivering mail in Fairfax, Virginia
Joe Biden issued vaccine mandates for federal employees and worker in companies that hire 100 or more people during his speech on Thursday
The mandate will also force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop emergency regulations requiring these companies to give employees paid time off to get inoculated.
Employers could also face fines of nearly $14,000 per violation, Bloomberg reports.
'If you want to work with the federal government and do business with us, get vaccinated. If you want to do business with the federal government, vaccinate your workforce,' Biden said.
USPS employees will be treated like private employees and have the option of either getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or taking weekly tests
Millions of people across the U.S. will be required to the COVID-19 vaccine
The president has faced backlash over the mandate as the Republican National Committee said they would sue to block the order, and House Republicans vowed to introduce legislation to stop it.
'Joe Biden told Americans when he was elected that he would not impose vaccine mandates. He lied,' said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who added that she was 'pro-vaccine and anti-mandate'.
Other Republican governors are also mounting a defense against Biden's aggressive new order and vowing to fight it through state laws and lawsuits.
Florida Republican Ron DeSantis is just one of several governors blasting Biden's announcement and vowing to block the order with state laws and lawsuits
Arizona, Montana, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina were all among the Republican-led states that threatened legal action.
'Forcing this and coercing people, I don't think is the right decision. I'd imagine that you're gonna see a lot of activity in the courts if they try to do that through an executive action,' Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a press conference Thursday.
While many of the largest employers in the U.S. have passed their own vaccine mandate, some are left puzzled by the lack of details in Biden's order.
Betsy Booren, vice president of regulatory and technical affairs for the Consumer Brands Association, told Bloomberg that officials in the packaged goods industry are wondering how the government will track their employees' vaccinations or help fight against vaccine hesitancy.
'What I hope we'll not have is a delay of weeks and months to get some basic answers,' Booren said.
Jay Timmons, chief executive officer of the National Association of Manufacturers, warned in a statement that the new mandates should avoid hurting employers amid the pandemic recovery efforts.
'It is important that undue compliance costs do not burden manufacturers,' he said.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it 'will carefully review the details of the executive orders and associated regulations, and will work to ensure that employers have the resources, guidance, and flexibility necessary to ensure the safety of their employees and customers and comply with public health requirements.'
The new mandates come as more than 75% of adults eligible for the vaccine in the U.S. have gotten at least one jab, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The delta surge in August had brought daily COVID-19 cases up to nearly 300,00, and although cases began to dip in September, the nation had experienced another dramatic uptick on Thursday.
The CDC reported more than 163,000 new cases, and nearly 1,650 new deaths
No comments