THE us Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 'vaccine or test' Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), reported Massachusetts' Logistics Management.
In a case brought by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the court reinstated the stay that had been dissolved by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
'The question before us is not how to respond to the pandemic, but who holds the power to do so,' Justice Neil Gorsuch said. 'The answer is clear: Under the law as it stands today, that power rests with the States and Congress, not OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration].'
OSHA exceeded its authority by trying to regulate a hazard that is not specific to the workplace; OSHA does not have authority to regulate public health, the court ruled.
Trucking interests hailed the ruling. 'ATA has won a tremendous victory on behalf of the trucking industry and workers and employers everywhere,' said American Trucking Associations president and CEO Chris Spear.
The Supreme Court's ruling 'validates our claim that OSHA far overstepped its authority in issuing an emergency temporary standard that would interfere with individuals' private health care decisions,' said Mr Spear.
US President Joe Biden announced a plan to require more Americans to be vaccinated last September. As part of that plan, he said that the Department of Labour would issue an emergency rule requiring all employers with at least 100 employees to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week.
More than 80 million workers would have been affected by the ruling. OSHA had estimated that the rule would save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalisations over six months.
SeaNews Turkey
In a case brought by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the court reinstated the stay that had been dissolved by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
'The question before us is not how to respond to the pandemic, but who holds the power to do so,' Justice Neil Gorsuch said. 'The answer is clear: Under the law as it stands today, that power rests with the States and Congress, not OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration].'
OSHA exceeded its authority by trying to regulate a hazard that is not specific to the workplace; OSHA does not have authority to regulate public health, the court ruled.
Trucking interests hailed the ruling. 'ATA has won a tremendous victory on behalf of the trucking industry and workers and employers everywhere,' said American Trucking Associations president and CEO Chris Spear.
The Supreme Court's ruling 'validates our claim that OSHA far overstepped its authority in issuing an emergency temporary standard that would interfere with individuals' private health care decisions,' said Mr Spear.
US President Joe Biden announced a plan to require more Americans to be vaccinated last September. As part of that plan, he said that the Department of Labour would issue an emergency rule requiring all employers with at least 100 employees to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week.
More than 80 million workers would have been affected by the ruling. OSHA had estimated that the rule would save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalisations over six months.
SeaNews Turkey