A federal district judge in South Carolina on Tuesday Dec. 28 refused to block the prime contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina from carrying out its vaccine mandate against employees who refuse to take the shot against COVID-19.
U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs said because Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is a private employer and not a government agency, it is not bound by an injunction imposed by a federal district judge in Georgia that blocked President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for contractors.
As a private employer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions retains the right to fire an “at-will” employee at any time, according to the 10-page order.
In addition, Judge Childs said while the South Carolina House recently passed a resolution taking a stance against private COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the legislation has not been finalized and signed by the government, so it is not yet South Carolina state policy.
As a result, Judge Childs said not enough has changed at this point to overcome the earlier court decision on Dec. 3 denying the plaintiff’s initial injunction request against the operations and management contractor for Savannah River.
