Will A Vaccine Mandate Trigger The Great Resignation?
- Joe Biden’s wide-ranging vaccine mandate will affect tens of millions of U.S. workers, but experts, labor unions and business groups are divided on what impact the rule will have.
- “I think one of the effects that you will see over the next month, as more and more businesses roll out mandates is that there’s going to be a shrinking population that are still objecting,” Erik Eisenmann, a partner at the national law firm Husch Blackwell, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “I’m probably bearish on the idea that you’re going to have mass resignations.”
- “It is dangerous and irresponsible for the city to move forward with its plan to allow schools and centers to operate so severely understaffed,” Mark Cannizzaro, president of New York’s largest union representing school administrators and principals, said in a recent statement on the city’s vaccine mandate. “As a result, we are calling on the city to delay the deadline for the mandate to allow the city to develop a reasonable contingency plan.”
Joe Biden’s wide-ranging vaccine mandate will affect tens of millions of U.S. workers, but experts, labor unions and business groups are divided on what impact the rule will have.
While experts disagree on whether the federal mandate, which applies to the majority of the U.S. workforce, may lead to mass resignations, the rule will at the very least disrupt workplaces nationwide, Erik Eisenmann, a partner at the national law firm Husch Blackwell, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“I think one of the effects that you will see over the next month, as more and more businesses roll out mandates is that there’s going to be a shrinking population that are still objecting,” Eisenmann said in an interview. “I’m probably bearish on the idea that you’re going to have mass resignations that are going to be disruptive.”
“I think the primary disruption is going to be the employee relations issue in the meantime and how that’s going to affect workplace morale,” he continued.
On Sept. 9, Biden authorized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to craft a rule requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate workers to either get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit weekly tests proving they aren’t infected with the virus. It is unclear if the rule, which hasn’t yet been published, will include a requirement that employers pay for the weekly tests.
Eisenmann, who primarily represents employers on labor and employment issues, added that Biden’s order may have the effect of helping businesses who wanted to issue a vaccine mandate, but didn’t, fearing workers would leave for a different job. Because of its breadth, the rule evens the playing field and limits the options for workers seeking to quit, he said.
‘Not acceptable’
Several labor unions, however, have forcefully condemned vaccine mandates, which they said stripped workers of their civil liberties. Many have warned of major consequences including potential mass resignations.
“Any staffing shortage, especially during a pandemic, is a threat to the health and safety of both students and personnel,” Mark Cannizzaro, president of New York City’s largest union representing school administrators and principals, said in a statement Thursday.
“It is dangerous and irresponsible for the city to move forward with its plan to allow schools and centers to operate so severely understaffed,” he continued. “As a result, we are calling on the city to delay the deadline for the mandate to allow the city to develop a reasonable contingency plan.”
In July, Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a vaccine mandate for all 400,000 public employees. Several unions quickly criticized the mandate and the New York Police Department’s largest union even threatened to sue.
“Mandates are not acceptable. People should have a choice,” New York City Fire Department Emergency Medical Service Union President Oren Barzilay told the DCNF. “There are still many unknowns about this vaccine. The government is simply doubling down so they don’t lose face with their agenda.”
Barzilay added that many members of his union were prepared to quit if there was no testing option to the New York City mandate.
A Massachusetts police union, meanwhile, said dozens of state troopers have already resigned over a vaccine mandate requiring all state employees to get vaccinated, NPR reportedMonday. The mandate, imposedby Republican Gov. Charlie Baker last month, said state workers who refused vaccination would be fired.
In San Diego, roughly 45% of police officers said they would prefer to be fired than comply with a city mandate to receive a vaccine, according to a San Diego Police Officers Association internal survey, the ABC affiliate KGTV reported. The Portland police union said it opposed a vaccine mandate, citing potential resignations.
But the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of 55 unions and 12.5 million total members, applauded the national mandate announced by Biden.
“The resurgence of COVID-19 requires swift and immediate action, and we commend President Biden for taking additional steps to help put an end to this crisis,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement on Sept. 10. “Everyone should be vaccinated—as one step in stopping the pandemic.”
Many labor unions nationwide have also reached agreementswith officials on the terms for local mandates.
Others, like the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), wouldn’t speculate on the national mandate until they examined the published OSHA rule.