NEW YORK (AP) – New York City’s vaccination mandate for city employees went into effect Monday despite strong resistance from a minority of workers in some public safety jobs, including police and firefighters.
As of Sunday, one in four uniformed firefighters in the city had not yet received the first dose of the vaccine, as required. About one in six police officers were not yet vaccinated. It was unclear how many were able to get vaccinated last minute over the weekend or Monday morning.
Under the municipal mandate, those who have not received at least one dose of the vaccine will be suspended without pay. New York has more than 300,000 employees.
City officials said they were prepared for the potential job shortage by asking vaccinated employees to work overtime.
The director of the union representing New York City firefighters, which has fought the vaccination mandate, warned that public safety could be at risk. The fire department said it was prepared to take up to 20% of its fire companies out of service and have 20% fewer ambulances on the streets.
“We are here today because of a mandate that was imposed not only on our members, but also on all New York City employees, who were given nine days to make a decision that changes the course of their careers, or whether to go or not to be vaccinated ”, said in a press conference the president of the Association of Uniformed Firefighters Andrew Ansbro.
Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city’s public safety priority is stopping the spread of COVID-19, which continues to kill a handful of people in the city every day.
