Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The legal and political wrangling over the Biden administration's vaccine mandate continues as a judge has blocked mandate for employees at companies with government contracts.
Additionally, the Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration's requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing.
In Western New York, Moog employees protested the mandate earlier this year, and one employee says the developments are encouraging, but it's not over yet.
Matt Scheiber, a Moog employee, says it's a "big win for the hundreds of employees who work at Moog and fall underneath the executive order." U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker, in Augusta, Georgia, blocked President Joe Biden's administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors.
But Scheiber isn't ready to celebrate just yet. "The executive order was placed on hold, but Moog sent us a memo saying they need to review how it affects the contract, so they're encouraging us to get vaccinated." He adds Moog wants employees ready in case this court ruling is overturned.
Scheiber says there are several issues against the vaccine, but the government mandate is the biggest one. "Any forced medical procedure should not be mandated by the government. They're not involved in our health care decisions, that's between us and our doctors. Now, that we're hearing the different variants can be transmissible even with the vaccinated, we don't see the reason to be forced into a procedure that's outdated," explains Scheiber.
Scheiber says Moog preaches to not to jump to a solution, but he says that's what's happening with the mindset vaccines are the solution to the pandemic.
The mandate is a key part of the administration's strategy to stop the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 788,000 Americans since last year.
