February 15, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams fired more than 1,400 government workers who refused to get vaccinated, the city revealed on Monday — including 36 NYPD personnel, 25 Fire Department workers and 914 Department of Education staffers.
The number had dropped considerably by last Friday’s vaccine mandate deadline as more employees submitted proof of getting at least one shot, City Hall officials said.
At one point last week, officials estimated that 4,000 were on the chopping block.
The number then dropped to around 3,400 — and then to 1,430 firings, officials said.
In one category, there were 2,400 veteran employees on leave without pay who had not opted to extend their health insurance and had not provided proof of vaccination. In the end, 1,428 of those city workers failed to get shots and were fired.
Nearly 1,000 — or 40 percent — provided evidence of getting at least one shot at the 11th hour and returned to work, officials said.
Meanwhile, 1,000 new employees hired beginning in August of last year had initially failed to file paperwork of getting two shots. But in the end, only two failed to get their shots and were fired, officials said.
Adams thanked the overwhelming majority of workers for getting vaxxed.
“City workers served on the frontlines during the pandemic, and by getting vaccinated, they are, once again, showing how they are willing to do the right thing to protect themselves and all New Yorkers,” the mayor said in a statement.
“Our goal was always to vaccinate, not terminate, and city workers stepped up and met the goal placed before them. Out of all the new city employees who received notices two weeks ago, only two who worked last week are no longer employed by the city.
“I’m grateful to all the city workers who continue to serve New Yorkers and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for the greatest city in the world.”
But some union leaders said a single worker getting fired over a vaccine mandate is one too many.
“Workers should not get fired. There are a lot of people who don’t believe in putting this stuff in their bodies,” said Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, and head of the Municipal Labor Council.
The embattled NYC Housing Authority lost 101 workers who refused to get vaccinated and 40 Sanitation Department workers were terminated, according to an agency chart provided by the city.
But this is just the first round of firings — there could be many more.
Another 13,044 city workers filed for medical or religious accommodations or exemptions from the vaccination requirement.
More than half of those cases — 7,030 requests for a waiver — have been decided on.
About 70 percent or 4,919 requests for exemptions were denied and 2,118 were approved. But workers can file an appeal.
About 5,000 cops and 500 firefighters were among those who have sought exemptions from the jabs for religious or medical reasons.
The vaccine mandate was initially imposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, which Adams kept in place when he took office. Last fall, more than 10,000 workers had not complied.
There are about 400,000 residents who work for the city government agencies.
A federal judge on Friday gave the city the greenlight to ax the "anti-vaxxers".
SOURCE: New York Post
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