On behalf of NGA members, the National Grocers Association supports the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend enforcement of the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccination and testing Emergency Temporary Standard.
The court’s ruling takes some pressure off independent community grocers, who already face daunting staffing challenges amid a nationwide labor shortage. “Independent grocers remain focused on doing what they have done since day one of the pandemic, providing their communities with access to food, essential products and other vital services. The ruling is a great relief for our industry as it staves off a burdensome mandate that would have created further disruptions and impaired our members’ ability to properly serve the needs of their communities,” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO.
Independent supermarkets and wholesalers have worked since the vaccines were first available to ensure their frontline workers had access, and NGA members with pharmacies have been important partners to help deliver vaccines and boosters to the communities that they serve.
“We support efforts to increase vaccination rates that will not place added pressure on an already strained food supply chain and labor force,” Ferrara said.
