More Companies Request Exemption From Biden’s Employer Vaccine Mandate

As with every federal mandate, some mandates are more equal than others, and some workers are more equal than others. With President Biden’s vaccine mandate on companies with 100 or more employees, numerous corporations, trade groups, and unions are lobbying the White House for exemptions or special treatment when it comes to this nationwide top-down policy aimed at driving up Covid vaccination rates. We’ve reported on the Biden administration’s chaotic and disjointed Covid-19 policy and messaging, and the national employer vaccine mandate will suffer a similar fate of last-minute changes, government favors, and a sense that the law won’t be applied equally.

As always, with every federal edict, the lobbyists, unions, and big corporations are lining up meetings with Biden administration officials hoping to help craft the upcoming rules in more favorable terms to their particular industry or company:

Lobbyists from industry associations and unions, as well as some private anti-vaccine individuals, are lining up to take meetings with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is in the process of finalizing the rule that will apply to some 80 million workers, before its expected release in coming weeks.

The unusually high number of groups requesting meetings is a sign of the intense interest in how the Biden administration crafts the policy. Many view this policy as its highest-profile — and probably its most widely contested — effort to increase coronavirus vaccination rates across the country, perhaps one of the most significant undertakings in Labor Department history.

The fear among many analysts and business owners is what effect the vaccine mandate will have on an already difficult labor market. Companies are still having a very hard time hiring and retaining employees. Right now, businesses are in control of their own Covid policies, but some of that authority is about to be devoured by the federal government.

If you’re enjoying the current supply chain and labor issues, just wait until December:

Representatives from multiple industry groups said in interviews that they had expressed concerns to federal officials about the potential for the coming vaccine requirements to exacerbate the economic woes caused by supply chain issues and labor shortages.

“The overwhelming majority of respondents said to us this is going to negatively impact their businesses and their ability to retain employees,” said Kevin McKenney, director of government affairs at the NLBMDA.

The biggest point worth making here is that the Biden administration does not care what effect this will have on businesses. It’s painfully obvious that dividing the country over mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations is an acceptable tactic for Biden and the ends will justify the means. Even if that means, in the meantime, that employers will be crunched for workers and the country remains divided over forcing workers to choose between their paycheck and taking the vaccination.

Democrats often complain that seniors or low-income households are sometimes forced to choose between food and medication, or medication and a phone bill, or a phone bill and buying groceries. What about choosing between having a job and being forced to accept a vaccination you may not agree with? That concern doesn’t enter into the calculation for the Biden administration.

Doesn’t matter though, even as companies express their concerns, they seem to be falling on deaf ears as the White House presses forward with potentially unworkable guidelines:

Other industry group leaders expressed similar sentiments, saying they told federal officials that the businesses they represented were concerned about more disruptions before the busy holiday season.

“We asked them to provide as long a possible runway regarding the implementation dates and give employers the greatest amount of flexibility as possible,” said Mark Wilson, a vice president at the HR Policy Association, which expressed these concerns in a meeting with officials on Thursday. “There’s a lot of stuff going on right now, and this is going to be a major implementation lift for large companies.”

The bottom line here is that it’s going to get worse before it gets better for businesses and consumers alike. On both sides of the coin, the end result will be higher prices, worse service, and more general difficulty for the American people this holiday season thanks to Biden’s executive order.

It’s also possible, however, that the rules get watered down to the point where businesses can easily comply without actually forcing vaccinations or testing on workers. It’s possible the Biden administration fears the outcome and already accomplished their goal of scaring people to drive up the vaccination rates over the last two months.

We won’t know until the OSHA rules drop, which could come “soon” according to Biden.