NYC firefighters protest vaccine mandate

Roughly 9,000 municipal employees in New York City went on unpaid leave on Monday after the city’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements went into effect. While more than 90 percent of city workers have complied with the mandate, 2,300 firefighters were reportedly on sick leave, more than double the usual daily average. The New York fire commissioner accused firefighters of staging a sick-out over the mandate. Firefighter union head Andrew Ansboro said the group is anti-mandate, not anti-vaccine. Several FDNY members protested outside Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office on Monday with signs that read, “My Body My Choice,” and, “#NaturalImmunity.” De Blasio said anyone found on a sick-out would be disciplined.

How does this affect the city? De Blasio said there were no disruptions due to staff shortages, but 18 of 350 fire department units were out of service on Monday. Several more were understaffed. Sanitation workers made extra pickups on Sunday in anticipation of fewer workers this week. As of Sunday, 1 in 4 firefighters had not received an initial vaccine dose. NYC has roughly 300,000 employees, 12,000 of whom have applied for religious or medical exemptions.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties about conflicting court rulings on vaccine mandates.