Biden Consulted With Unions Before Announcing Vaccine Mandate: Report

President Joe Biden consulted with union leaders before announcing his vaccine mandate, according to the Associated Press, putting reports that some unions may receive exemptions from the mandate for their membership under greater scrutiny.

Biden announced a new series of COVID-19-related policies last Thursday, including a new federal mandate, enforced through the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) emergency powers, requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to force their employees to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to rigorous testing. If businesses do not, they can incur fines of $14,000 per violation, although the definition of a violation is not yet clear.

Biden framed the new mandate as protection for the vaccinated from the unvaccinated, but reports quickly began to surface of companies — including the United States Postal Service — being exempt from the new vaccine rules. The Biden administration tried to clarify the reports, noting that the USPS was still under OSHA’s jurisdiction even though the entity’s union workers were not included in the executive order.

The Associated Press noted Monday that the Biden administration consulted with labor leaders before announcing their mandate, adding that the Biden White House will continue to “check in” with organized labor while OSHA drafts its rule. – READ MORE