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Chambliss Provides Legal Perspective for Employers Navigating Federal Vaccine Mandate
Justin Furrow, labor and employment chair and COVID-19 task force co-chair for Chambliss, recently provided insight to WRCB Channel 3 in an interview covering President Biden’s new federal vaccine mandate for employers. On September 9, 2021, the president released a multi-prong plan to combat the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, which included mandatory COVID-19 requirements for large private employers, as well as specific health care employers. Among the requirements, Biden announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing an emergency temporary standard that will require all private employers with 100 or more employees to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine or require unvaccinated employees to produce a negative COVID-19 test weekly before coming to work.
Sharing his legal perspective on the controversial topic, Justin explained what the requirements mean based on the minimal details available at this time and addressed some of the expected challenges employers may encounter in the coming weeks. Details and a video of the interview can be found in the article, “Local employers weigh in on the President’s federal vaccine mandate.” Some of Chattanooga’s largest employers were interviewed, including U.S. Xpress, Inc., TVA, McKee Foods Corporation, Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, BlueCross BlueShield, Erlanger Health System, and Parkridge Medical Center.
For details on Biden’s plan and the other requirements announced, please read Justin’s update: Breaking News: President Biden Announces Plan to Require Large Private Companies to Mandate COVID Vaccine.
If your organization has questions or concerns about the requirements, please contact Justin or another member of the Labor and Employment team.
