NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Members of the FDNY union are expected to rally Thursday in protest of New York City’s vaccine requirement, which includes first responders.
So far, 68% of FDNY members are vaccinated. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate is at 73% for the NYPD, and 65% for the Department of Sanitation.
City workers now face an ultimatum: Get the vaccine by Friday, or go on unpaid leave.
As CBS2’s John Dias reports, the fire union invited thousands of workers to rally outside Gracie Mansion, taking their concerns right to the mayor’s home.
“I’m assuming the commissioner is telling the mayor, ‘We got this.’ I’m telling you, you’re wrong,” Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro told CBS2.
The president of the Uniformed Firefighters Associations is fired up, hosting a what organizers are referring to as their “last stand.”
Earlier this week, thousands marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest in the mandate.
A high ranking FDNY source told CBS2 as many as 20% of fire companies could close, and their ambulance fleet may be impacted as well, if the mayor doesn’t budge on his mandate. Ansbor said, simply put, there will be deaths.
“I don’t think the mayor understands what’s going to happen on November 1,” he said.
Unions argue 70% of members have already been infected and have natural immunity. Doctors are still researching how long those antibodies last, especially as new variants emerge over the course of the pandemic.
The city says it’s ready to show the door to 3,500 members if they don’t get the shot before Friday.
“They were here during COVID — before there was masks, before there was vaccinations, before there was testing. And this is the way we’re going to treat our membership?” said Jim McCarthy, president of the Fire Officers Union.
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As the window to vaccinate closes, there’s growing concern about gaps in services in other city departments.
A state supreme court judge denied the Police Benevolent Association’s lawsuit to halt the mandate, upholding that officers must have their shots.
The union president said the ruling “sets the city up for a real crisis,” adding, New Yorkers should blame the mayor and police commissioner, who say they will use overtime and double shifts to fill shortages if the remaining 27% of officers ultimately decide against the shot.
“We’ll be sending notifications to people that our records say don’t have the vaccination, and we’re planning for contingencies at the same time,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement that it is an unfortunate fact a portion of the workforce is refusing to comply, saying he will make sure operations continue and those who have sworn an oath to serve will be protected.
from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/10/28/fdny-union-nyc-vaccine-mandate-protest/
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