PRINTING United Alliance Experts Weigh In on Supreme Court Decision: OSHA Vaccine & Testing Mandate On Hold and Not in Effect
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On January 13, 2022, the United States Supreme Court upheld a “stay” on the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued in November. That stay was put in place by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals immediately after the ETS issued, which meant that the ETS was not enforceable while the lawsuits were being litigated.
The ETS mandated that private employers with 100 or more employees require their workers to be fully vaccinated, or institute a mandatory weekly testing protocol for those who are not fully vaccinated. By reinstituting the stay, these employers do not have to put the mandatory vaccine/testing policy into place until the lawsuits are resolved.
Last month, a different Court of Appeals, the Sixth Circuit, “lifted” the stay, which meant that the ETS was in effect and enforceable. The ruling by Supreme Court sided with the Fifth Circuit and put the stay back in place, meaning that the ETS will not be enforceable until the lawsuits are resolved, which may take quite some time. The ETS has been sent back to the lower court to work through the lawsuits.
To learn more about how this mandate affects the printing industry and what to expect in the future, join PRINTING United Alliance to gain access to the foremost experts in the space as well as to answer individual questions as it relates to your business operation.
And, as COVID mandate changes are rapidly evolving, members can reach out to our expert Alliance staff for further questions on this, or other important matters: Marci Kinter, VP, Government & Regulatory Affairs: mkinter@printing.org; Gary Jones, Director, Environmental, Health and Safety Affairs: gjones@printing.org; and Adriane Harrison, VP, Human Relations Consulting: aharrison@printing.org.
PRINTING United Alliance seeks to keep the industry updated on workplace requirements related to COVID-19 workplace safety requirements. Follow the latest alerts on COVID-19 from the PRINTING United Alliance Government Affairs team online at: https://www.printing.org/library/business-excellence/human-resources.
Marcia Kinter is the Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs at PRINTING United Alliance. Ms. Kinter oversees the development of resources for the Association addressing environmental, safety & health, and sustainability issues. She represents the printing industry, as well as their associated supplier base, before federal and state regulatory agencies on environmental, safety and other government issues directly impacting the printing industry.
In 2008, Kinter, in conjunction with colleagues from other printing trade associations, was instrumental in launching the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership program. The SGP Program is a registry system for printing facilities that includes third party verification. The program successfully launched as an independent organization in August 2008.
Kinter is a member of and serves as Secretary for the Academy of Screen Printing Technology. In 2001, Kinter received the William D. Schaeffer Environmental Award for significant advancement of environmental awareness in the graphic arts industry.
Before joining PRINTING United Alliance, Kinter worked for The American Waterways Operators, Inc., the national association for the barge and towing industry.
She holds bachelor’s degree in urban planning from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University.
Gary A. Jones is the director of environmental, health and safety (EHS) affairs at PRINTING United Alliance in Fairfax, VA. His primary responsibility is to monitor and analyze EHS regulatory activities at all domestic and some international government levels. He provides representation on behalf of the printing and specialty graphic imaging industry. In doing so, Mr. Jones works closely with the federal and state-level Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and other agencies. He also provides membership assistance on EHS compliance and sustainability programs through a variety of approaches including responding to inquiries, presentations, writing, and consulting services.
Mr. Jones is also supporting PRINTING United Alliance’s efforts for the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP). SGP is dedicated to assisting printing operations respond to the customer demand for sustainable printing.
He holds a BS in biology from LaRoche College and an MS in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.
Adriane Harrison is Vice President, Human Relations Consulting at PRINTING United Alliance. Adriane assists members with a wide variety of HR matters involving statutes, regulations, policies, procedures, culture, and staffing, as well as the gamut of day-to-day HR issues. In addition, she supports professional development by conducting webinars, participating in panel discussions, and speaking at industry events on human resources issues. Currently, Adriane is the Chairperson of the Graphic Communications Workforce Coalition, a member of the Women in Print Alliance, and a founder of the Women’s Print Mentoring Network.
Adriane received a journalism degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from DePaul University in Chicago. As an attorney, Adriane practiced in both the public and private sectors. Her work was in the areas of Constitutional, commercial, securities, and criminal law. Adriane and her family live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
