Outdoor outfitter Carhartt will require its employees to get vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus. This comes after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) blocked President Biden’s mandate directing private companies with 100 or more employees to require their workforce to be vaccinated.
The announcement was made via an email sent to employees on Jan. 14 from Carhartt CEO Mark Valade. An image of the email circulated on Twitter.
Cancel @Carhartt
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) January 18, 2022
Stop supporting medical tyranny! pic.twitter.com/j66vftsVLO
The email reads as follows:
“Carhartt Associates,
Many of you have asked how the recent Supreme Court decision on the OSHA mandate for large employers will impact our associates so we want to provide some clarity. The ruling does not change Carhartt’s mandatory vaccination program, which went into effect on January 4th. As you know, we have extended the vaccination deadline for both RCV and Madisonville associates to February 15th. That date also remains in effect.
We put workplace safety at the very top of our priority list and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling doesn’t impact that core value. We, and the medical community, continue to believe vaccines are necessary to ensure a safe working environment for every associate and even perhaps their households. While we appreciate that there may be differing view, workplace safety is an area where we and the union that represents our associates cannot compromise. An unvaccinated workforce is both a people and business risk that our company is unwilling to take.
If you have additional questions please send them to covidquestions@carhartt.com and we will respond as quickly as possible.
Thank you,
Mark Valade”
As Katie covered, the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s vaccine mandate for private businesses but upheld his executive order requiring vaccination for healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal funding. The mandate for private businesses was going to be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling and said that Biden will continue to pressure companies to implement vaccine mandates for employees.
“President Biden will be calling on and will continue to call on business to immediately join those who’ve already stepped up, including one-third of Fortune 100 companies to institute vaccination requirements,” Psaki said in a press briefing. “We have to keep working together in order to get this done.”
PSAKI: Biden will continue to pressure employers to institute their own vaccine mandates pic.twitter.com/5DYOVSIMV1
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 13, 2022
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