Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Labor and Industry
 
Board
Safety and Health Codes Board
 
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7/2/21  5:24 pm
Commenter: Jonathan Bottoms, United Steelworkers Union local 12103

Vaccination discrimination
 

On behalf of my Union body, and many others who have suffered at the hand of these standards, I do not support the changes in this standard that open the door for discrimination against individuals who choose not to receive this vaccination. We, as a state  & a country, need to move forward together - without infringing on anyone's freedom to choose what is best for their own body. As someone who has contracted COVID-19 myself, I would like to know why there is no language about immunity gained from natural antibodies? Additionally, why should a non-vaccinated person be required to wear a mask while working next to someone who is vaccinated? This, in my opinion, casts doubt on the effectiveness of the vaccines all together. As is true of anything in life, we must all retain our right to form opinions & make our own decisions accordingly. These amendments will create more division & promote animosity amongst co-workers, employees, and employers. The analogy I think about here is a very simple one, comparing mask usage to wearing a seatbelt - I choose to wear my seatbelt to protect myself & my family, but I cannot & will not try to force my beliefs behind that choice on anyone else. These are decisions that people must make for themselves. The leaders of our great state have the opportunity here to restore a sense of normalcy to a population that severely needs it. I, for one, hope that we can ALL move past this pandemic, together, without divisive regulations. I was raised to shake hands & make direct eye contact with those who I respect, and that is exactly what I intend to do from here on out - regardless of my lack of the check-in-the-box that is a vaccination card.

CommentID: 99342