To the relief of employees strongly opposed to vaccine mandates, last month the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) withdrew the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring private employers with 100 or more employees to implement a vaccine or test policy. The news followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on enforcement pending a decision by the 6th Circuit on challenges to the ETS.
It is important to note, however, that OSHA is not withdrawing the ETS to the extent that it serves as a proposed rule under section 6(c) (3) of the ACT. It is expected that OSHA will now seek to modify the ETS using the Supreme Court opinion and other inputs for guidance including narrowing the scope of mandates to certain industry or specific workplaces.
Meanwhile, despite the stay on the ETS, private employers may still require their employees to be vaccinated or risk termination. However, in the state of Iowa, laws have recently passed requiring employers to grant medical and religious exemptions and, if workers do lose their jobs for not getting vaccinated, the law guarantees unemployment benefits.
Iowa Employment Law Questions?
Don’t give up your job or career path as a result of unfair and illegal treatment by your employer. Contact Iowa employee rights attorney Marc Humphrey for immediate assistance today at 515-331-3510.
