New President Signs Flurry of Executive Orders

Posted January 22, 2021 at 1:54 pm




President Joe Biden (D) spent his first day in office on Jan. 20 signing a total of 17 executive orders. Several of those orders will have a direct impact on businesses, including the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

One of the executive orders created an office of White House COVID-19 response, which will work with federal agencies and report directly to the president. Goals include securing more personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers and increasing testing and vaccinations. Biden also signed an executive order launching a “100 Days Masking Challenge,” which calls for a nationwide face mask and social distancing mandate in federal buildings, on federal lands and by federal employees and contractors. Combined, these orders reinforce employers’ attention on COVID-19 and mean a continuation in remote-work policies and more aggressive workplace safety measures.

Biden’s COVID order also will likely spur employers to look at their COVID-19 vaccination policies. Industry insiders expect employers to widely encourage workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and develop a robust communication strategy to offer education and health information in order to get employees to buy in.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Nominee Marty Walsh, calling on the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to provide employers with thorough and timely guidance on how COVID-19 spreads and reaffirms the view that sweeping standards do not provide the opportunity for robust public comment and could slow America’s ability to manufacture vaccines, therapeutics, PPE and other essential supplies. To view the letter, click here.

To read more about the president’s executive orders and how they will impact human resources policies, click here. For a full list of the Biden administration’s executive orders, click here. If you have any questions on how these executive orders impact your linen, uniform and facility services business, contact TRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org. For more information on the industry’s response to COVID-19, visit TRSA’s Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19.

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