9,000 New York City Workers in vacation after Vaccine mandate

Mayor Bill de Blasio

9,000 New York City Workers Unpaid After Vaccine mandate

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said about 9,000 municipal workers had taken unpaid leave for refusing to comply with the mandate for a COVID-19 vaccine that took effect Monday.

About 9 out of 10 city workers covered by the state have been vaccinated, and there has been no disruption to city services due to staff shortages, de Blasio told reporters at his daily news conference. New York has more than 300,000 employees in the city.

The mayor said the firehouses remained open, and sewage workers did extra charges on Sunday to ensure the trash didn't build up.

 "Thank you for the vaccination. Thank you for doing the right thing. Thank you for moving on." de Blasio said. 

City officials are fighting fierce resistance among a minority of workers in some vital public safety jobs, like police officers and firefighters, as well as a pending legal challenge to mandate by the city's largest police union.

As of Sunday, 1 in 4 uniformed firefighters in the city had not received their first dose of the vaccine, as required. About 1 in 6 police officers and 1 in 6 cleaners remain unvaccinated.

More than 3,500 city workers were vaccinated over the weekend. It was after five in the evening. The deadline is Friday to collect a $500 bounty to prove that they got a dose of the vaccine before they were given unpaid leave.

About 12,000 workers have applied for religious or medical exemptions from the vaccine mandate. They can remain in business while city officials review these requests.

City officials said they were prepared for potential staff shortages and recalled vaccinated employees on overtime shifts.

The union president representing New York City firefighters, which has fought the vaccine mandate, warned that public safety could be at risk. The fire department said it is willing to take up to 20% of its fire companies out of service and have 20% fewer ambulances on the road.

"We are here today because of the mandate that has been placed on not only our members, but all New York City employees, that they have been given nine days to make a life-changing decision about their career or whether to take a vaccine," said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Innsbrough at an early morning press conference.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city's top public safety priority is to stop.