NATSO filed comments on Jan. 19 with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in response to its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to require their workers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. Although the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of the ETS last week, NATSO filed comments so that the travel center industry’s views were on record with the Agency should it continue its pursuit of a vaccine and testing mandate through employers.
In the comments, NATSO argued that labor and supply chain issues that essential businesses like fuel retailers and travel centers are currently facing, along with the struggle to administer COVID-19 testing, make implementing the ETS nearly impossible.
“OSHA should not confuse a desire for a beneficial outcome…with the practical or legal ability to achieve it,” NATSO said. “Forcing employers to implement vaccination and testing requirements without the ability to do so will harm businesses and the broader economy.”
NATSO concluded by urging OSHA to withdraw its ETS because it would only serve to exacerbate labor shortage problems and lead to large costs that businesses will not be able to endure.
The National Associations of Convenience Stores (NACS) and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers joined NATSO in filing comments with OSHA on behalf of the convenience, travel center, and fuel marketing industry.
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