FDNY firefighters are among the latest under vaccine mandate order
Firefighters and other NYC workers face choice of getting $500 to be vaccinated or go on unpaid leave
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Julia Marsh & Sam Raskin, New York Post:
All New York City municipal employees will soon be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.
The city workers — including firefighters and cops — will be mandated to get their first dose by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, the mayor said. Members of the city workforce who have not started their vaccine series by Nov. 1 will be placed on unpaid leave until they provide proof of vaccination, according to de Blasio.
The NYPD has a vaccination rate of 69 percent among its 55,000 cops and civilian members.
Among FDNY workers, the vaccination rate is an even lower 59 percent.
In response to the new rule, Pat Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, vowed to take City Hall to court over it.
“There is no greater privilege than serving the people of New York City, and that privilege comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your community safe,” said de Blasio. “We have led the way against COVID-19 – from fighting for the right to vaccinate frontline workers, to providing nation-leading incentives, to creating the Key to NYC mandate. As we continue our recovery for all of us, city workers have been a daily inspiration. Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all.”
The city’s also sweetening the pot for municipal workers who might still be hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine — offering a $500 bonus if these workers get their first dose at a city-run vaccination site before 5 p.m. on Oct. 29.
