Members of Iowa Legislature Consider Limiting Employer Responses to Pandemic

On July 21, 2021, 22 members of the Iowa Legislature sent an open letter to Trinity Health, a unit of MercyOne in Iowa. The letter was a reaction to a Trinity Health announcement that it was going to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees. The letter has been posted online and citizen signers are being sought. The letter can be viewed HERE.

During the 2021 session, legislation (SF555) limiting the rights of employers to require vaccinations of employees was introduced but did not advance. ABI educated legislators that as an “At Will” employment state policies should not be adopted that interfere with employer decisions about how to maintain the workplaces they own. ABI has been very clear throughout this debate that we respect the right of those who choose not to be vaccinated, but ask that all recognize that such choices have consequences, including employment.