OSHA is Suspending Enforcement of the Government's New Employer Vaccine Rule

Litigation attorney Gina Fonte was quoted in a CBS News/MoneyWatch article on the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suspending enforcement of the government's new employer vaccine rule. The agency's decision to stop implementing and enforcing the new rule comes after a recent federal appeals court reaffirmed an earlier temporary halt to the Biden administration's vaccine rule and ordered OSHA to stop enforcing or implementing the regulation.

The future of the government directive remains uncertain, with the case headed to the Sixth Circuit Court in Ohio, which the National Law Review says comprises a majority of Republican-appointed judges. Meanwhile, businesses across the nation have mounting questions over what this means for the new vaccine rule, a 490-page order with complex requirements that experts say will require time and effort to ensure compliance. Under the original plan, by December 5, employers with more than 100 employees must choose whether their workers must get fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. 

It's possible that the temporary halt to the regulation could be lifted, reaffirmed or partially lifted, said Ms. Fonte. 

"Generally the legal profession has been advising clients, 'You need to be ready,'" Ms. Fonte stated. "Would you be prepared to be live if the court turns around and says everything is back in place tomorrow?"

READ: OSHA is Suspending Enforcement of the Government's New Employer Vaccine Rule