New York City fired 1,430 municipal workers over their refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Our goal was always to vaccinate, not terminate, and city workers stepped up and met the goal placed before them,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “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.”
Most of the workers who were fired worked for the Department of Education. The employees had not been working or collecting paychecks since last November, but they had still been holding jobs that could go to people who are vaccinated and willing to work.
“They have not been teaching in schools, patrolling our streets, or maintaining our parks — yet they have been taking salary lines away from agencies and stopping the city from hiring individuals who are willing to do the jobs New Yorkers need them to do,” City Hall said.
The vaccine mandate was put into place last October by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. It replaced the test-or-vaccinate policy and held termination above the heads of those unwilling to get vaccinated. After the mandate was put into place, vaccination rates dramatically increased, especially within the NYPD and NYFD.
The 1,430 terminated workers made up just 1% of the entirety of the city’s workforce. Adams continues to incentivize vaccination by implementing $100 rewards at some vaccination sites.
