Starbucks has suspended its plan to require baristas to get vaccinated or receive weekly testing.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court’s ruling last week that the Biden administration overstepped by mandating that large private employers had to require weekly testing for workers who weren’t fully vaccinated.
“While the [Emergency Temporary Standard] is now paused, I want to emphasize that we continue to believe strongly in the spirit and intent of the mandate,” wrote John Culver, chief operating officer and North American group president at Starbucks, in a letter Tuesday to baristas that was viewed by CNBC.
The company said it will still strongly encourage baristas to get inoculated and encourage disclosing their vaccination status.
Culver said in the letter that more than 90% of workers have disclosed their vaccination status and the “vast majority” have been fully vaccinated. As of Sept. 27, 2020, the company employed 228,000 workers in the U.S.