New Mexico Chamber: Employers ready for particulars on federal vaccine mandate

For the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the jury continues to be out on President Joe Biden’s proposal to mandate vaccines for a lot of non-public sector staff.

In accordance with the White Home, the Division of Labor’s Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA) is growing a rule requiring all employers with 100 or extra staff to both mandate vaccinations or require a damaging COVID-19 take a look at every week for workers earlier than coming to work.

“We imagine that employers have each proper to guard their workforce and their prospects,” chamber president and CEO Rob Black instructed The Middle Sq..

However the chamber continues to be ready to see what the OSHA guidelines are on the federal vaccine mandate. Many questions stay unanswered, Black stated.

“When you concentrate on an employer of 100 individuals, is that full-time equal, does it embody part-time or seasonal staff?” Black requested.

One other query is who can pay for the testing, Black stated.

“Is that the duty of the employer or is the federal authorities paying for that?” he requested. “I feel there are a number of questions which can be unanswered.”

These questions have delayed some employers from imposing their very own mandates, Black stated.

“They do not know what the principles are going to be and they do not know whether or not their mandate shall be in compliance with that,” Black stated.

There was some concern that the mandate might make an already tight labor market even tighter, Black stated.

“I really suppose it could minimize the opposite manner,” he stated. “Many staff are hesitant to return to an atmosphere the place they really feel they could be in danger. In the event that they know that their employer is requiring everybody within the office to be vaccinated and even their prospects to be vaccinated, they could really feel safer going again to the office.”