A federal judge has blocked a vaccine mandate for federal contractors under the Federal Contractor Rule. The rule is an executive order signed by President Biden that requires all federal contractors regardless of size to have all employees who work in any way on the federal contract be vaccinated. The federal ruling bars the rule from being enforced in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
The Tire Industry Association said it would continue to monitor any developments and provide additional information about the rule in its Weekly Legislative Update.
TIA said the Federal Contractor Rule was initially thought to only apply to federal contracts for services and has now been clarified to apply to all federal contracts (services and goods). The requirements of the rule also apply to subcontractors at all tiers. If an employer is questioning whether an employee works on the federal contract, TIA said it recommends the employer treat the employee as being covered by the Federal Contractor Rule.
The Federal Contractor Rule does not allow for testing in lieu of vaccination (unless considered as an accommodation to an approved medical or religious request for exemption), TIA said. Under the original rule, covered employees must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022. Individuals who received the second dose by Jan. 4 will meet the “fully vaccinated” requirement.
