Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Could Affect Some Dallas-Fort Worth Real Estate Brokerages

• Employers with 100 or more employees must ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated, according to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.

Dallas-Fort Worth real estate brokerages and MLS associations with 100 or more employees will likely be affected by President Joe Biden’s new emergency order requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Biden is issuing the order through the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The order is technically an “emergency temporary standard” that is intended to protect workers. OSHA can issue standards when workers’ lives are in “grave danger.” According to a report in USA Today, the possibility that the standard will be challenged in court is high.

Biden’s mandate requires employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. However, there’s no word on how that would apply to those who work remotely or brokerages without a physical office.

According to Realtor Magazine, some real estate-related companies are already requiring vaccination.

For example, the brokerage Redfin announced last month that it would require all employees returning to the office to be fully vaccinated. Those who haven’t been fully vaccinated will be required to work from home until infection rates subside. Related Cos., a New York–based real estate firm, is requiring its 4,000 employees to get vaccinated—with at least one shot by Aug. 31—or face the possibility of termination.

Biden has issued a vaccine mandate for most federal workers. Nursing home employees hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds were included as well. Biden has also called for COVID-19 vaccines to be required to attend sports arenas, large concert halls, and other venues holding large gatherings.

The White House has said that OSHA is expected to issue the rule for the vaccine mandates in the coming weeks. Businesses that fail to comply will face “substantial fines” of up to $14,000, according to a senior administration official quoted by USA Today.

Businesses with fewer than 100 employees are not included in the vaccine mandate.