The Supreme Court sides with business
The Court issued a stay of the emergency standard, preventing it from taking effect
On Thursday, Jan. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) vaccine mandate, which would require businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate their employees either get vaccinated or wear masks and undergo weekly testing. The mandate would have impacted more than 80 million workers across America.
“Today’s decision is welcome relief for America’s small businesses, who are still trying to get their business back on track since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Karen Harned, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, in a statement following the decision. “As small businesses try to recover after almost two years of significant business disruptions, the last thing they need is a mandate that would cause more business challenges. We are pleased the Supreme Court stopped the rule from taking effect while the courts consider whether or not it is legal. We are optimistic that the courts will ultimately agree with us that OSHA does not have the emergency authority to regulate the entire American workforce.”