Baton Rouge, LA (September 10, 2021) – Today, LABI President and CEO Stephen Waguespack released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced its plan to mandate vaccines for companies larger than 100 employees, which represents roughly two thirds of the American workforce and 25% of LABI members.

“I have been vaccinated and LABI encourages everyone to consult their doctor about doing so if they haven’t already. Improving vaccination rates is critical to our community’s health and economy. Having said that, President Biden’s proposal to require American companies to mandate vaccinations is clearly not the role of the federal government, and OSHA has no constitutional authority, capacity or standing to enforce such an action.  In fact, this federal overreach will do more harm to encouraging vaccination literacy than any other step taken to date.

Additionally, this policy has the potential to offshore American companies who fear losing their employees, subjecting themselves to predatory litigation and are at risk of paying exorbitant OSHA fines enforced from unnamed federal agencies in a challenging, pandemic-influenced economy. We are nationally at a record high job openings for the fifth month in a row – while our employers are finding it increasingly challenging to find workers wanting to fill these jobs, resulting in a nationwide labor shortage.  Instead of taking targeted actions to jump start our stagnant economy, the Administration and Congressional leadership continue to propose new taxes, unprecedented spending and mandates that will drive up costs and stifle economic growth. We implore the President to reconsider this action and return to a more productive and constitutional effort to improve vaccination rates through education and access.”

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