Starbucks on Tuesday announced it will no longer require employees to be vaccinated against Covid after the Supreme Court ruling.
The US Supreme Court last Thursday blocked Joe Biden’s OSHA vaccine mandate for businesses with 100+ employees.
“Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion.
“Requiring the vaccination of 84 million Americans, selected simply because they work for employers with more than 100 employees, certainly falls in the latter category,” the court wrote.
The American coffeehouse giant sent a memo to its employees late Tuesday announcing it will be reversing its vaccine mandate to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.
AP reported:
Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a policy it announced earlier this month.
In a memo sent Tuesday to employees, the Seattle coffee giant said it was responding to last week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3 vote, the court rejected the Biden administration’s plan to require vaccines or regular COVID testing at companies with more than 100 workers.
“We respect the court’s ruling and will comply,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver wrote in the memo.
Starbucks’ reversal is among the most high-profile corporate actions in response to the Supreme Court ruling. Many other big companies, including Target, have been mum on their plans.
General Electric Co last Friday suspended its vaccine or test requirement for its 174,000 employees after the Supreme Court blocked Joe Biden’s OSHA mandate.