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Vaccine mandate struck down

The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t take long to strike down the Biden Administration’s mandate that large employers must require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or wear masks, or undergo weekly testing. The conservative members of the court ruled that OSHA lacks the authority to make such a sweeping order, though it did allow the rules applying to health care workers to stand.

A lot of larger corporations were cautious in their response to the news, saying they’d have to “examine” the ruling to see what kind of impact it would have.

The ruling doesn’t say companies can’t create their own requirements for employees. They can still require vaccinations, or demand masking, provided they don’t run afoul of state laws that ban such rules.

We suspect a lot of companies would just as soon have someone tell them what they have to do in this area. They want to have rules for a safer workplace but be able to say, when workers complain, “Well, OSHA said we have to do it.”

Those representing the workers are split on the decision. Some unions, like teachers and nurses, favor the rules while others feel it infringes on individual rights, or at least should be something to negotiate.

We think it’s a peculiar situation when the government has to tell people to protect themselves from COVID, and order them to avail themselves of the safe, free vaccinations that are being offered.

Regardless of what the Supreme Court says about OSHA, getting vaccinated is still a good idea. The vaccines offer protection from the virus, perhaps not total immunity, but protection from the more serious effects of the disease. It may be the difference between a couple of days at home, or a couple of weeks in the hospital.

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