WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is withdrawing the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard, effective Wednesday, Jan. 26, after the Supreme Court blocked the requirements earlier this month.
“Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion.
Under the defunct rules, businesses with 100 or more employees had to ensure their employees were fully vaccinated, or submitted a negative Covid test weekly to enter the workplace. It would have covered some 80 million private-sector employees.
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear issued the following statement on the issue:
“We successfully challenged this misguided mandate all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, because it was a clear overstep of OSHA’s authority, and because it would have had disastrous consequences for an already-overstressed supply chain. The Supreme Court bounced it, and we are pleased to see the agency has now formally withdrawn it, sending this ETS to the dustbin where it belongs.
“The American people depend on us to deliver their essential goods each and every day, and we’ll continue to fight any proposals out of Washington that hinder our ability to do so safely and efficiently. That includes any attempt by OSHA to create a similar, permanent standard without going through the legally required process, including an actual risk-based analysis.”
ATA led a coalition of state trucking associations and national business groups in challenging the ETS in federal court and filing an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay. Of the 14 emergency applications, the coalition’s was one of only two that the Supreme Court chose to hear oral arguments on.
In an e-mail to members on Tuesday, David Heller, vice president for governmental affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) said that TCA is continuing to monitor the issue.
In a previous statement, Heller praised the Supreme Court for their ruling against the vaccine mandate, adding that “is a victory for the trucking industry.”
Heller added: “It is imperative that the professional truck driver has the ability to safely, efficiently and effectively deliver our nation’s freight so that our economy and this nation can continue to thrive.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
