Republicans and unions have criticized the Biden administration for implementing $14,000 fines for each unvaccinated worker in a company w...
Republicans and unions have criticized the Biden administration for implementing $14,000 fines for each unvaccinated worker in a company with more than 100 employees during labor shortages and supply chain problems.
The new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules announced Thursday morning means companies have until January 4 to make sure all staffers have the shot or implement stringent testing regimes that may be paid for out of their own pockets.
OSHA staffers will be doing random inspections to check if businesses are complying and employees could have to pay for their own tests out of pocket. The agency is using emergency orders that usually deal with workers exposed to 'grave dangers' to enforce the standards.
GOP lawmakers responded with fury and said some unvaccinated Americans were being forced to decide between putting food on the table or getting the shot, while retailers said the new rules will put an 'unnecessary' burden on businesses before the holiday season.
Red states are also likely to fight to stop the guidelines being put in place after the White House said they 'preempt any inconsistent state or local laws, including laws that ban or limit an employer's authority to require vaccination, masks, or testing.'
The stringent new rules have been put in place amid widespread backlash to mandates, including bids from furious Republicans who are trying to overturn it to keep people in their jobs amid fears of staff shortages and first responders being turned away from work in major cities.
On Wednesday San Francisco announced that children aged 5-11 will be forced to prove they've had the shot to enter restaurants and entertainment venues. The new rule comes just a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Pfizer vaccine for children in that age group.
In a statement on Thursday, President Biden said vaccination requirements are 'good for the economy' and they will help send people back to work.
'For our country, the choice is simple: get more people vaccinated, or prolong this pandemic and its impact on our country. The virus will not go away by itself, or because we wish it away: we have to act. Vaccination is the single best pathway out of this pandemic.'
Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement: 'Our economy is crumbling, and President Biden is doing everything in his power to make it worse. While businesses scramble to fill the 10.4 million open jobs in our country, Biden's vaccine mandate will push even more Americans out of the workforce.'
She also tweeted Thursday morning: 'Joe Biden is firing essential workers.'
Republican Representative Jody Hice insisted to DailyMail.com: 'American workers should never have to choose between their job or a vaccine.'
'Millions of American workers will face job over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but many of them are unfortunately bound to tight non-compete clauses,' the Georgia lawmakers added. 'If terminated, these people will be held in workers' purgatory – they won't be able to earn a living, and they can't find a new job. How are they expected to put food on their table? This is unacceptable!'
Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona said: 'Enough is enough.'
Companies with 100 or more workers will face fines up to $13,653 for each unvaccinated employee in the New Year
Sanitation workers in New York City are protesting the vaccine mandate, which has caused a slow down in pickups and has led to immediate garbage pileups in the city (shown here in Queens on November 3)
A large pile of trash accumulates along 54th Street in New York City on Wednesday as sanitation workers protest the vaccine mandate
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