We are pleased to share a recent Wall Street Journal article, Companies Grapple With Questions About Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate, with quotes from Robin Samuel. This article discusses the challenges and questions companies face when implementing the Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Breaking News: Biden Plans to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines for All Federal Workers and Private Companies with 100 or More Employees
On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced that he has directed the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to promulgate an emergency temporary standard requiring all US companies with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers are either vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly before coming to work. In an
Are US Employers That Don’t Mandate Vaccines Now At Risk?
We are pleased to share a recent International Employment Lawyer article, “Are US Employers That Don’t Mandate Vaccines Now At Risk?” by Stephanie Priel, Robin Samuel, and Autumn Sharp. The article discusses risks companies that are not mandating COVID-19 vaccines may face, as well as steps those companies can take to meet their health and
So You Say You’re Vaccinated? Prove It! (Video)
Special thanks to guest contributor: Helena Engfeldt.
US employers want employees to return to the brick and mortar workplace but with the COVID-19 Delta variant rampaging across the US and elsewhere, many employers are requiring employees to be vaccinated before they return – and they are requiring proof of vaccination. So, what can employers
OSHA Joins the Chorus: Updated Agency Guidance Encourages Employers to Mandate the Jab
The United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has decided to sing the same song as its sister agency. Last Friday, August 13, OSHA updated its guidance for American workplaces, auto-tuning its recommendations for fully vaccinated employees to match recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Momentum to Mandate: What Employers Need to Know Now (Video)
Can private employers mandate vaccination as a condition of returning to the workplace? The recent spike in the COVID-19 Delta variant has caused the re-closure of worksites or changes to workplace safety protocols, leading to legal developments that provide more clarity to this issue.
In this Quick Chat video, our Labor and Employment lawyers breakdown
Back to Masks: 7 Bay Area Counties Return Indoor Mask Mandates Effective August 3
So much for the summer of freedom. As anticipated, the seven Bay Area counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Marin, and Sonoma plus, the city of Berkeley, announced today that they are now mandating that everyone — regardless of vaccination status — wear
Mandating COVID-19 Vaccination? Before You Act, Consider These Key Issues For US and Multinational Employers
Pressure is mounting on U.S. and multinational employers to require COVID-19 vaccines for employees, as the Delta variant spreads voraciously, spiking infections and hospitalizations across the country and forcing employers to once again shutter worksites or change their workplace safety protocols. But can (and should) employers mandate vaccination?
Vaccine mandates received strong support on Thursday, July 29 when President Biden announced that all civilian federal employees and onsite contractors either must be vaccinated or submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements, and restrictions on travel. The same day, the U.S. Treasury Department released a policy statement directing state and local governments to use funds from the $350 billion American Rescue Plan to incentivize vaccines by offering $100 to individuals who get vaccinated.
Separately, more than 600 universities have announced mandates for students or employees. And state and local governments have joined in, with California and New York City announcing mandates this week for government employees and certain healthcare workers, and the federal Department of Veterans Affairs announcing that frontline VA health care employees must get vaccinated or face termination.
Large employers are joining the fray, with global technology companies, financial institutions, healthcare systems, retailers, transportation companies and media companies recently announcing that vaccination will be required for everyone in their workplaces.
So can private employers adopt mandatory vaccination policies? What follows is a framework for understanding whether such an approach is permissible both in and outside the US, as well as some of the key considerations for such policies.
Bottom line: in the US, private employers can legally mandate vaccines under federal law, subject to the legal considerations outlined below. State law, however, differs by jurisdiction, with some states authorizing vaccine mandates while at least one has banned them. For illustrative purposes, we discuss California law in the framework below.
Key Changes to US Shelter-In-Place / Reopening Orders [Current as of June 25, 2021]
We recently published an update to our 50-state Shelter-In-Place / Reopening Tracker.
Please see HERE. This is updated weekly.
For your convenience, here is a summary of the major updates from around the country:
- The following jurisdictions extended their state-wide orders and/or the duration of the current phase of their reopening plans: Georgia and
The Saga is Over: California Scraps Masks and Social Distance for Employees, Effective Immediately
Special thanks to our summer associate Janice Lin for her contributions to this post.
The Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) saga is over. As predicted (see our blog here), and after the dizzying flutter of proposals, board meetings, emotional public comment, and votes to reject, approve, and withdraw prior amendments (see here, here, here, and here), the Cal/OSHA Standards Board finally voted to align the ETS with CDC guidance at its June 17 board meeting. Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-09-21 in conjunction with the vote, making the new ETS effective immediately.
As a result, California employers – finally – can harmonize their workplace mask and distancing rules with the rules applicable to non-workplace settings.