Missouri Chamber statement on OSHA guidelines for federal vaccine mandate

JEFFERSON CITY — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration revealed details of the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate rules for large employers on Nov. 4. Missouri’s business community has been waiting for guidelines to be released since the Sept. 9 announcement of the plan. 

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has always taken a stance against attempts to place new government mandates on employers.

“The Missouri Chamber opposes this onerous new federal mandate. Each workplace is different and employers have long held the right to establish vaccine policies that work for their businesses. The Missouri Chamber believes all employers should continue to have this right when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Daniel P. Mehan, President/CEO of the Missouri Chamber. “In contrast with the Biden Administration’s approach, we believe the federal government should instead cooperate with the employer community to encourage vaccination and support employers that exercise their legal right to require vaccination. It’s unfortunate that this new federal policy will likely further divide public sentiment around COVID-19 vaccination.”

Though the Missouri Chamber holds that the federal government should not be able to dictate new, burdensome employer policy, the Missouri Chamber believes the choice to get vaccinated remains key to economic recovery.

Prior to the announcement of the federal mandate, the Missouri Chamber made national news for its “COVID Stops Here” initiative, a completely voluntary program that encourages employers to offer employees accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines and recognizes workplaces vaccinated at certain percentage milestones.

“We need more Missourians to get vaccinated so that we can put this pandemic behind us for good,” said Mehan. “The Missouri Chamber will continue leading in this effort and we continue to strongly encourage all Missourians to get vaccinated against COVID-19.”

The mandate requires organizations with 100 or more employees company-wide to have workers either get vaccinated or wear face coverings and comply with regular testing. The mandate does not apply to fully remote or outdoor workers. Read the full OSHA document.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest business association in Missouri. Together with the Missouri Chamber Federation, the Missouri Chamber represents more than 75,000 employers. To learn more, go to www.mochamber.com, or follow us @MissouriChamber on Twitter.