President Joe Biden gave a gift to every major company in America by forcing them to mandate vaccines or stringently test their employees for Covid. Their reaction to the new rule: glee.
Corporate America had been trying to navigate two competing pandemic realities: Companies are desperately trying to get back to business as usual, and mandating vaccines is among the best ways to accomplish that. But a labor shortage had tied their hands, as businesses have been worried that forcing people to get the shot would send some desperately needed employees and potential new hires packing.Some state and local governments had imposed various vaccine mandates, others had outright banned them — and all the while vaccines have also become politically charged.
All that made universal corporate vaccine mandates difficult for employers. But Biden solved that problem for them this week.
[…]
Corporate America welcomed the news — most notably the Business Roundtable, an influential group of huge American companies led by Joshua Bolten, former chief of staff to President George W. Bush.
“Business Roundtable welcomes the Biden Administration’s continued vigilance in the fight against Covid,” Bolten said in a statement. “America’s business leaders know how critical vaccination and testing are in defeating the pandemic.”Although the National Association of Manufacturers said it hoped the order would not disrupt their operations, the business group largely embraced Biden’s new rule.
“Getting all eligible Americans vaccinated will, first and foremost, reduce hospitalizations and save lives,” said National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons in a statement. “But it is also an economic imperative in that our recovery and quality of life depend on our ability to end this pandemic.”
Even the Chamber of Commerce, a frequent foe of Democrats like Biden, said it would work to encourage its members to get on board with the new rule “to ensure that employers have the resources, guidance, and flexibility necessary to ensure the safety of their employees and customers and comply with public health requirements.
“The Consumer Brands Association, a consortium of 2,000 packaged goods brands, also praised the effort to vaccinate as many Americans as possible: “We look forward to working with the administration to increase vaccination rates of essential workers throughout the country,” said the trade group’s CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.
These groups might want to lean on their friends in the Republican Party because they didn’t get the memo. They are right now doing their best impression of Linda Blair in the Exorcist, so totally out of control one wonders if they aren’t consciously trying to foment another insurrection. I guess they are hoping the Supreme Court saves them so they don’t have to choose between their donors and their voters.
Keep in mind that this is also a way for those who are unvaccinated due to peer pressure to get the shot while remaining true to their tribe. They need their jobs, there’s nothing they can do about it. There are a few who will quit rather than betray the cult, of course, but I’d guess most will just comply with their company’s mandate and move along.
I would assume that the administration did some outreach before they instituted this plan and got positive feedback. The GOPers should probably check in with their moneybags before they go too far with their hysterical backlash.