Businesses To Biden: Hold Off On Vaccine Mandate For Workers Until After Holidays Pass

The business community has a request for President Joe Biden: delay the vaccine mandate until after the holiday season is over.

On Sept. 9, Biden announced a new executive order that institutes a vaccine mandate for all employers with 100 or more workers that would require their workforce be fully vaccinated or be provided with weekly testing. Many business executives embraced the president’s mandate and several major corporations have announced plans for meeting the administration’s mandate.

However, retail chains and manufacturers are worried that resistance to the vaccine mandate from employees will create problems as the holiday season approaches. Despite the supply chain woes chains are enduring right now, several chains are going ahead with their usual routine of increased hiring of workers and more hours for the season.

Last week, the White House met with representatives from labor unions and industry lobbyists to speak about the mandate. One lobbyist who spoke to CNBC described retailers as fearful that the mandate will spark a rise in layoffs or resignations that would leave them understaffed for the holidays.

Previous surveys found that resistance to vaccination mandates is high enough that many would be willing to quit their jobs over it.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll from last month found that as many as 16% of unvaccinated workers said they would get the COVID shot if mandated by their employer, while 35% said they would request a medical or religious exemption, and 42% said they would quit their job. Seventy-two percent said they would quit if there were no exemptions allowed to opt-out of getting vaccinated.

Industry leaders also spoke to the Biden administration about who would be footing the bill for testing of employees that refuse to be vaccinated. Several said that employees themselves should be responsible for those costs, arguing that the costs for the businesses themselves would quickly add up given that millions of their workers remain unvaccinated.

Under Biden’s vaccination mandate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to develop a rule to help guide employers into compliance. The rule was submitted to the White House Office of Budget and Management on Oct. 12, but it remains under review.