Court Ruling Upholds Right of Private Employers to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine

Private employers considering vaccine mandates for their workers may have ammunition thanks to a federal court ruling last week that found a Cincinnati area health care provider could require its employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs, Reuters reports. The case appears to be the first ruling of its kind for a private employer in the United States.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning in Covington, Kentucky, ruled the employees of St. Elizabeth Healthcare failed to establish that their individual liberties were being violated by the vaccine requirement of the hospital, which has the right to set employment terms.

St. Elizabeth employees, including all health care and support staff, must get vaccinated by October 1. An attorney who is representing employees fighting the mandate said they are evaluating their next steps.

A plan released by the Biden administration earlier this month states employers with more than 100 employees must require their staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested for the disease regularly. Many companies had already set up their own vaccine mandates before the federal order. These employer vaccine requirements across the country have resulted in numerous lawsuits, although most are still in the initial stages.