OSHA’s ETS that mandate vaccination requirements for employers with 100 or more employees is under scrutiny by federal courts across the nation and is currently enjoined from implementation. Before the court’s enjoined the OSHA ETS, Washington Governor Jay Inslee had stated that the state’s emergency rule to implement the guidance would align with the ETS. With the uncertainty surrounding implementation of OSHA’s ETS, Washington State is clearly examining whether to issue an emergency rule under state authority to implement OSHA’s ETS. The Washington Retail Association is monitoring the issue and in regular contact with the Governor’s office and the Department of Labor and Industries.

During the five days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, Americans turned out in droves for their holiday shopping. Nearly 180 million of them. Industry research revealed the number to have exceeded estimates by over 21 million.

The good news for brick-and-mortar retailers is that the number of people shopping in-store increased nearly 14% over last year, approximately $12.6 million. Small Business Saturday was second only to Black Friday, with 71% of shoppers shopping on that day specifically in support of local businesses.