Logan Reed
The U.S. Postal Service, one of the nation's largest employers, is not subject to President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal workers. The USPS has sought a delay in complying with the Biden administration's order that workers at large companies be vaccinated or face weekly testing. The Supreme Court struck down the mandate, arguing that COVID-19 was not a workplace risk and that public health issues fall outside the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) jurisdiction. The USPS has seen a nearly 30% increase in quarantines among its workforce since lifting its mask mandate for fully vaccinated employees, and the Postmaster General plans to hire more workers to prevent delivery delays.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Postal workers required to get vaccinated or tested | No |
| Date of mandate | 13 January 2022 |
| Court ruling | Supreme Court struck down Biden administration's requirement |
| Reasoning | COVID-19 is not specifically a workplace risk |
| USPS stance | Sought a 120-day exemption from the mandate |
| USPS mask policy | No longer required for fully vaccinated employees |
| APWU data | 30% increase in quarantines among USPS workforce |
| USPS plans | Hire 40,000 seasonal workers and convert 33,000 non-career employees to career status |
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What You'll Learn
- The U.S. Postal Service is exempt from federal vaccine mandates
- The USPS is an independent agency and sets its own rules
- The Supreme Court struck down Biden's mandate for large employers
- The USPS asked for a delay to the mandate due to supply chain issues
- The APWU reported a 30% increase in quarantines after lifting mask mandates
The U.S. Postal Service is exempt from federal vaccine mandates
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is exempt from federal vaccine mandates. As an independent federal agency, the USPS sets its own rules on masks and vaccines, separate from the rest of the federal workforce. This means that the Biden administration's requirement for employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or regularly tested does not apply to the USPS.
The USPS had initially sought a 120-day exemption from the mandate, requesting a delay while the issue was before the courts. The Supreme Court granted a stay on the rule, effectively negating the mandate for the USPS. The court's conservative majority ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which issued the rule, had overstepped its jurisdiction, stating that COVID-19 was not specifically a workplace risk.
The USPS has encouraged all employees to get vaccinated and has taken steps to protect the health and safety of its workers. However, the agency has seen an uptick in employees needing to quarantine, with APWU data showing a nearly 30% increase in quarantines among the USPS workforce in one month. The increase in quarantines comes as the Postmaster General plans to hire more workers and convert non-career employees to career status to prevent a critical employee shortage.
The USPS's exemption from the federal vaccine mandate stands in contrast to the rest of the federal workforce, which has seen tightening restrictions, including reinstated mask mandates in areas of high community transmission. The independent status of the USPS allows it to set its own policies, which has resulted in an exemption from the vaccine mandate for its employees.
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The USPS is an independent agency and sets its own rules
The USPS is an independent federal agency that operates under a private sector collective bargaining model. This means that it sets its own rules on masks and vaccines, separate from the rest of the federal workforce.
The USPS has not mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees. Instead, it has encouraged all employees to get vaccinated voluntarily. This is in line with the Biden administration's stance that employees across the country with more than 100 workers should be fully vaccinated or undergo regular testing.
The USPS had initially sought a 120-day exemption from the mandate, requesting more time to negotiate with its unions and avoid staff shortages during its peak season. However, the Supreme Court struck down the mandate, stating that COVID-19 was not specifically a workplace risk and that issues of public health were outside the OSHA's sphere of expertise.
Despite the lack of a mandate, the USPS has experienced an increase in employee quarantines, with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) data showing a nearly 30% uptick in quarantines in the last month. The USPS has since reviewed its mask policy, encouraging all employees to wear face coverings at work, regardless of their vaccination status.
The USPS, as an independent agency, has the autonomy to set its own rules regarding vaccinations and masks. It has chosen to encourage voluntary vaccinations and adapt its mask policies based on CDC guidelines and internal discussions with relevant stakeholders.
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The Supreme Court struck down Biden's mandate for large employers
The Supreme Court blocked Biden's vaccine mandate for large employers, requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are vaccinated or submit negative Covid tests weekly. The ruling was made on a 6-3 vote, with the conservative majority on the court arguing that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had overstepped its authority, and that COVID-19 was not specifically a workplace risk.
The court's decision means that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will no longer have to implement a mandate for its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing. USPS, as an independent agency, sets its own rules on masks and vaccines, separate from the rest of the federal workforce. The Postal Service had sought a 120-day exemption from the mandate, as it was in its peak season, and many employees were opting to leave.
The Supreme Court's ruling has been met with mixed reactions. The National Federation of Independent Business, the group that brought the challenge, celebrated the decision. President Biden, on the other hand, expressed disappointment, stating that the mandate was "grounded squarely in both science and the law." He urged states and businesses to voluntarily institute vaccination requirements to protect public health.
While the Supreme Court blocked the mandate for large employers, it upheld a separate mandate for healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal money. This mandate was upheld with a 5-4 vote, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh joining the liberal justices to form a majority.
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The USPS asked for a delay to the mandate due to supply chain issues
The Biden administration's order mandated that workers at large companies be vaccinated for COVID-19 or face weekly testing. The USPS, one of the nation's biggest employers, sought a temporary delay from this mandate. The U.S. Postal Service asked for a 120-day exemption from the mandate so that it would no longer be in its peak season when "many employees" opt to leave. The USPS wrote to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which was responsible for enforcing the rule, requesting "temporary relief" while the issue was before the courts.
Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino cited supply chain issues in his letter:
> "Given the significant challenges that our nation's supply chains are already experiencing, we respectfully suggest that the nation cannot afford the additional potential substantial harm that would be engendered if the ability of the Postal Service to deliver mail and packages were to be impacted."
The USPS wanted to avoid any further disruption to its operations, which were already facing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and issues with supply chains. The Postal Service, as an independent agency, sets its own rules on masks and vaccines separately from the rest of the federal workforce. However, it was experiencing an increase in employee quarantines, with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) data showing a nearly 30% uptick in quarantines among the USPS workforce in the last month.
The Supreme Court granted a stay on the rule, kicking it back to a lower court, but this also negated the Postal Service's delay request. The court's conservative majority stated that OSHA had overstepped its jurisdiction, as COVID-19 was not specifically a workplace risk, and that issues of public health fell "outside of OSHA's sphere of expertise."
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The APWU reported a 30% increase in quarantines after lifting mask mandates
The US Postal Service (USPS) is an independent federal agency that sets its own rules on masks and vaccines, separate from the rest of the federal workforce. While the Biden administration has mandated that the federal workforce must be vaccinated or comply with masking, social distancing and COVID-19 testing requirements, USPS employees are not subject to this guidance.
In July 2021, the USPS lifted its mask mandate for fully vaccinated employees. However, those not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 must still wear a mask in situations where they can't maintain a six-foot distance from other employees and in public settings where it is mandated by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) reported a nearly 30% increase in quarantines among the USPS workforce in the month following the lifting of the mask mandate for fully vaccinated employees. The APWU leadership disagreed with the policy change, with APWU President Mark Dimondstein and Director of Industrial Relations Vance Zimmerman stating that "a face mask requirement is still necessary as it is too early to relax the policy and the vaccination rate among residents of the United States is not at levels needed to stop mask wearing".
The USPS spokesman Dave Partenheimer acknowledged the CDC's updated face-covering guidance and stated that any decision to revise the current face-covering policy would be made after internal discussions and engagement of all relevant stakeholders. The USPS is encouraging all eligible people to get vaccinated, noting that "the health and safety of the Postal Service’s 650,000 employees [...] remains our highest priority".
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Frequently asked questions
The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency and is not subject to President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal workers. The Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's requirement for large employers to enforce a vaccine mandate or regular testing for their employees. Therefore, postal workers are currently exempt from any federal vaccine mandate.
The USPS updated its mask policy for fully vaccinated employees on July 16, 2021, allowing them to choose not to wear a mask unless required by federal, state, or local laws. However, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) reported a nearly 30% increase in quarantines among USPS workers after the agency lifted the mask mandate.
While there is no federal mandate, the USPS has stated that it encourages all its employees to get vaccinated, citing the critical role of vaccinations in protecting the health and safety of postal workers.
