What you should know
- New York City announced last week that it was expanding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to all public employees with no testing option.
- The deadline for those workers, which include firefighters, police officers, traffic officers and many essential employees, to show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is 5 p.m. Friday.
- The City Council says it has enough vaccinated workers to cover any possible shortages, but time will tell; The FDNY expects 20% of fire companies to close and 20% fewer ambulances on the road by Monday.
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NEW YORK – The New York City Uniformed Firefighters Association, representing some 9,000 active members and up to 25,000 total, including retirees, plans a march to protest the mayor’s impending vaccination mandate for public workers on the Thursday.
Other unions are expected to join the protest, which will begin at the Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Bill de Blasio. It is the latest in a series of protests of this type and occurs about 30 hours before 5 pm on Friday, the deadline imposed by the mayor for all municipal workers to show proof of at least one dose of vaccine or face a leave without pay.
There is no test option. The new rules affect more than 160,000 workers (including police, firefighters and correctional officers) who are not vaccinated.
About 40% of FDNY firefighters are not vaccinated, the latest figures show. The UFA president said last week that he would order those who decide not to get vaccinated to report to the service anyway, setting up a showdown with the City Council and first responders.
In a Twitter message ahead of the planned march, the union warned: “The only thing that can stop New York firefighters from fulfilling their oath is for the mayor not to fulfill his oath,” and played an old clip by De Blasio that it said: “The government is supposed to be the one who listens to us when we say that something is important.”
“We’re telling you THIS is important, Bill. Why don’t you listen?” continuous.
Announcing the expanded vaccination mandate last week, de Blasio said those whose job it is to protect the public should do so in part by protecting themselves. People shouldn’t have to worry that first responders hired to keep them safe might infect them with a virus that is estimated to have killed nearly 35,000 city residents.
However, what worries some is the possible shortage of first aid personnel for emergencies. The FDNY is looking at the possibility of up to 20% of fire companies closing and 20% fewer ambulances on the road Monday.
De Blasio has insisted that there is enough vaccinated workforce to keep the city safe. He acknowledged that the city has no substitutes on hand, as was the case when there was talk of a possible teacher shortage ahead of the Department of Education’s vaccination mandate, but said a plan would come in if necessary.
“These are organizations used to crises and disasters and they know how to keep things going,” De Blasio said Wednesday.
The mayor has said there has been a notable increase in city employees getting vaccinated since his announcement and he expects a particular increase on Friday.
What if that doesn’t happen? FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro ensured continuity of operations and public safety in a statement Wednesday night. He also recognized the challenge.
“The department must handle the unfortunate fact that a portion of our workforce has refused to comply with a vaccine mandate for all city employees,” said Nigro. “We will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual assistance from other EMS providers, and major schedule changes.”
That could mean canceling vacation time and pulling help from volunteer units, including private hospitals, and volunteers to help a depleted emergency medical corps.
The NYPD, whose union lost its latest legal challenge to the mandate, is making similar contingency plans.
New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea recorded a video reminding those who resist that “we will send notifications again to people who, according to our records, do not have the vaccine and, at the same time, we are planning contingencies. “.
As of Wednesday, the commissioner said 73% of NYPD officers are vaccinated, and 800 did so the day before. Shea went on to say that the number of people adhering to the mandate changes “minute by minute at this time.”
The mayor’s office added an added benefit: an additional $ 500 in paychecks for city workers who receive their first doses at a city-run site before the deadline, although it’s unclear how effective the incentive will be. for those who oppose so strongly.
First responders were extremely affected by COVID early in the pandemic, contracting the virus while responding to calls amid a chaotic unknown. UFA says that more than 70% of its members were infected at some point. Hundreds of FDNY members, along with NYPD officers, have died from the virus since March 2020.
The same mandate goes into effect for uniformed municipal prison officers on December 1.
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