Supreme Court Ruling Endangers Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court today blocked the Biden administration from enforcing the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency standard that large private companies require workers either to be vaccinated or to wear masks and be tested weekly. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“The court today got things tragically wrong in concluding that that OSHA’s approach to regulating COVID-19 risk at work was not plainly within the scope of its statutory authority. OSHA’s emergency authority is tailored exactly for circumstances like this. The direct result of this decision will be thousands of needless deaths and preventable illnesses.
“Beyond the immediate effects of today’s decision, it is important to note that the court acknowledged OSHA’s broad authority to regulate occupational hazards, including workplace-specific risks related to COVID-19.”