Will the State of Montana protect people from these mandates? Well, we're about to find out.

To my knowledge there is no federal mandate via the Whitehouse or OSHA or anyone else. My wife's employer however, just put out that Montana's law doesn't matter and all employees must be vaxxed by December 8th or face health insurance penalties. (Additional costs added to health insurance bills, much like tobacco surcharges). This is supposedly made possible under ERISA, which is an employment law managed by the US Department of Labor.

I've been in contact with the Montana Attorney General's office and while they seem sympathetic, they haven't offered to go to bat for residents until they see the federal mandate. Now that we have an actual date, I'll be reaching out to them again and asking for help.

It's quite the conundrum. There is no federal mandate so state law would seem to be in effect yet corporations are "receiving cover" from the feds under ERISA via an unofficial process.

I'll update this thread if and when I hear back.

ETA: Here's the email I just sent the MT DOJ. It references previous communications because I've brought this up to them in the recent past. I was pleasantly surprised that they got back to me within 2 business days from my initial email several weeks ago.

Attached File

I work for a big fucking company, and we haven't even talked about mandatory vacation yet.

Are insurance companies actually increasing premiums for non-vaxxed, or is it something companies are threatening. I haven't seen anything from my company, but we are small and I know our owner is 100% against it...and we hold several Federal contracts....

Yes, our premiums go up Jan 1st if you're not vaxxed. This is from a large national corporation with a couple hundred employees in Montana.

Why are you protecting a large national corporation by not naming them if they are violating your rights?

Because I have to at the moment. I named them to the state DOJ.

Well they got back to me quickly, however they don't want to put skin in the game. This is disappointing.

I'll be contacting the state Human Rights Bureau (per the info in the link) today after my wife's company announces that 1st shots need to be taken as early as October 27th (two days from now). The new verbiage she just received also states that termination is on the table for the unvaxxed.

Attached File


Link from the screen cap: https://dojmt.gov/ag-knudsen-issues-legal-guidance-on-the-biden-vaccine-mandate-and-illegal-vaccine-discrimination/

In for updates

My wife is a nurse and there is no mandate  at her hospital.

I work for a large California company.  They have been sending up mixed messages to us.  The 'company' policy is we are 'encouraged' to get vaxxd. The following paragraph is that they are a federal contractor, so, everyone needs to get vaxx'd, and there will be no exceptions.  But we will accomodate.  Oh, and OSHA regs will impact this when it happens.  They have not come down hard on any of this so far with a date.  We were supposed to report our status as of 11 October. I have not seen anything since then as of today.

Funny thing is I work remote, and all of my colleagues work remote.  We have for over a decade or more.  Heck, the company barely has any of the large offices open.  To go in, you have to vaxx, wear a mask, and provide a negative test. Plus, they limit occupancy to 20%, so you have to go through a reservation system.

I do not expect Montana to protect me at all in any of this.  Based on what I had been reading, I could be fired 'for cause' by not getting vaxx'd per company requirements, and I would not be eligible for benefits either.

Why would the state pass a law protecting resident's human rights, if they aren't willing to protect resident's human rights?

New info: unvaxxed employees of this corporation are to be placed on unpaid leave for 60 days starting Dec 8th. If they are still unvaxxed after 60 days they will be terminated. No exceptions.

On the conference call I was listening in on, some Executive Vice President of something or other specifically called out that Montana employees aren't exempt from this requirement because of the "federal law" about vaccines.

I spoke with a very nice lady at the Montana Human Rights Bureau this afternoon.

Their next appointment to accept a complaint against a company for violating the state's COVID vaccine law is December 20th.

This country is a fucking joke. I was hoping Montana would be better.

The law is rarely fast enough to prevent something time sensitive from happening. Companies will push the issue until they get sued.

Or the CEO's get coc'd.....it is far past time for tar and feathers for these petty tyrants it's time for coc.....

It could be better. But when people are more willing to protect companies that will fire them for violating their rights it's kind of hard for it to be better.

It doesn’t matter if I announce it here. I announced it to the powers that be in this state. They know the company name and all the details I have.

I’m surprised that hasn’t already started happening.

Only a matter of time before someone with nothing left to lose snaps and strings one of these assholes up in his front yard in the middle of the night...

Jennifer Carlson is posting on Facebook as of yesterday and today that Montana will not allow employers to do anything to unvaxxed Montanans. Might want to contact her as she is telling people to do on FB.

PM me a link?

Well, if you can't do something basic, like tell someone a major national corporation is violating the law, then we're in worse shape than I thought we are, and we all deserve what is coming, including the cattle cars because we can't even name and shame a national corporation.

Sent.

I don't have FB, and I also do not know who Jennifer Carlson is?  Someone in the know at the State level?

I would like to know where the State stands, really. My information came from some earlier discussions/news I had seen that stated that if you were terminated for violating company policy, and that policy was about being vaxx'd, that the State was not going to do anything (at will employment) unless the company was in state.  So in my case, I am the only employee in Montana, and living here is a choice, not a company one.  Perhaps I am incorrect in that thinking.

I did see yesterday where Hornady has now required vaxx for everyone... federal contractor rule.

LOL, take your pick, bud: AT&T, Amazon, Verizon, Delta, American, United, Spectrum, Century Link, Walmart, Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, etc ad infinitum. Basically any company with a federal contract and/or has more than 100 employees is or will be implementing such a mandate. My list is in no way exhaustive.

You have the opportunity to be outraged at any of them or none of them. I was listening in on a call yesterday where an EVP of some random bullshit literally stated that this is a "federal law" and no one corrected him. It is no such thing, but rather an executive edict from an illegitimate president which hasn't even been implemented yet and EVERYONE is bowing to it, minus the 2-3% of employees at any given company saying "fuck all that".

The State of Montana's response so far has been completely underwhelming. If they were serious they would have been PREPARED and on a footing to fight this. There are so many avenues to fight this that it's ridiculous...but the AG's office will do nothing, as they straight up told me yesterday. They referred me to the state Human Rights Bureau, which can't take a new case until December 20th because they're so overwhelmed. Awesome. Great. Stupendous. Now we have the opportunity to individually sue the company, my wife will be fired, we'll stand a good chance of losing our house. 2nd and 3rd order effects are a real thing.

So, and drawing a logical conclusion here: HB702 and any other law passed at the state level that is intended to reign in federal overreach is nothing but chest thumping with no teeth. As soon as the feds say "boo", the state backs down. So disappointing.

https://www.leg.mt.gov/legislator-information/roster/individual/6851 House District 69 Rep.

There is a legal term called “Standing” and until Biden  or OSHA actually issue an edict, nobody can take it to court. In your wife’s case, until they fire her for not being vaccinated, there’s no standing for a case. OSHA issued their rule on Friday, effective January 2nd. States that have banned mandates now have standing and can begin taking action/ filing suits, but don’t expect to see any before Thanksgiving.