(INDIANAPOLIS) – Indiana is one of several states suing to block President Biden’s vaccination-or-testing mandate to large businesses. But the Indiana Chamber says businesses don’t have time to wait to see if the regulation is upheld.
By January 4, workers at companies with 100 or more employees face firing unless they’re vaccinated by then or undergo weekly testing. But by December 5, businesses must give unvaccinated workers a paid half-day off to get their shot. Two days after that, those companies must begin providing and requiring masks for unvaccinated workers. And Indiana Chamber Kevin Brinegar says companies need to start collecting, verifying and storing workers’ proof of vaccination.
Brinegar says about 400 companies took part in a Chamber webinar to answer businesses’ questions about the 500-page regulation. He says many companies had questions about whether the rule applies to them. In some cases, the 100-worker threshold is less straightforward than others. Independently owned franchises of a larger company are treated as separate companies, but a single company with multiple locations must total them up to figure its workforce, and keep together the vaccination records for the whole company. And a company which doesn’t have 100 employees right now but crosses that milestone later becomes subject to the rule.
The Chamber has opposed the regulation as an excessive intrusion into companies’ operations. Brinegar says the rule’s recordkeeping requirements will be an annoyance, and says some businesses are concerned they’ll be forced to terminate workers at a time when the labor market is already tight. But the Chamber is advising members to operate on the assumption the regulation will take effect as scheduled, even while the court challenges are pending.
