Vaccine Mandate Ruling Could Hurt Supply Chain, Amplify Labor Shortage in Virginia

A U.S. court of appeals ruling that will allow the federal government to impose a vaccine mandate on businesses could hurt the supply chain and amplify the labor shortage in Virginia and nationwide, according to a business group fighting against the rule.

An appeals court ruled Friday the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is allowed to enforce its vaccine mandate. The rule requires any business with 100 or more workers force every employee to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or be subject to a test every week. The National Federation of Independent Business and several other groups have filed lawsuits against the rule and plan to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This [ruling] is going to be a real problem… Every single one of [our members] knows they’re going to lose employees,” Karen Harned, the executive director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center told The Center Square. The NFIB is the largest small business association in the country.

Virginia and the nation have faced rising prices for many goods and services and a lot of businesses in the commonwealth have reported difficulties in finding qualified workers and getting necessary supplies to operate their businesses fully. Many have had to increase prices and some have been forced to cut hours of operation amid these problems… (Excerpts from the Virginia Star)