Partner Chris Nickels Weighs In On New OSHA COVID-19 Mandate for Milwaukee Business Journal Article

Milwaukee Labor & Employment partner Chris Nickels was interviewed by the Milwaukee Business Journal for an article (subscription required) looking at what employers need to know as they prepare to adhere to the new COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate issued by OSHA.

An excerpt from the article:

The reason to start planning now is that employers can’t be certain litigation will block the rule and there’s a relatively short period of two months until the rule would take effect, attorneys noted.

Time is now to prepare, “regardless of whether a legal challenge is justified,” said Chris Nickels, a partner at Quarles & Brady LLC’s Milwaukee office.

…

If an employer chooses to mandate vaccines, the employer will need to process employee requests for exemptions, which can be complicated and time-consuming, Nickels said. Employees can seek exemptions for medical issues and religious beliefs.

“I think employers who were thinking about doing a mandate might move faster,” Nickels said. “They can say it’s a federal government requirement.”

Originally published in Milwaukee Business Journal, November 4, 2021