New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office announced that over one thousand workers have been fired after failing to comply with the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Of the city’s 370,000 city workforce, less than 1% (1,430) lost their jobs, which is less predicted ahead of the Friday deadline to be fully vaccinated.
Among those who were fired, 64% were part of the city’s education department. Last week, public teachers’ union The United Federation of Teachers said 700 of its members were informed they would be fired. This led the union to join others to sue against the firings, but a judge ruled in favor of the city recently.
Last month, 4,000 city workers were informed that they needed to show proof of having at least two doses of the vaccine or would face termination. Prior to this, three-quarters of these workers were already on unpaid leave for months after missing the initial deadline.
“City workers served on the front lines 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,” said Mayor Adams. “Our goal was always to vaccinate, not terminate, and city workers stepped up and met the goal placed before them.”
New York City has among the most widespread vaccine mandates in the US and has seen significant compliance among its citizens and workforce.
This comes as the city tries to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, and mandating Covid-19 vaccines is one method the city is using to bring people back into the workforce and reaccelerate activity.
