NY firefighters evade vaccine mandate by taking medical leave
More than 2,000 firefighters in New York City have taken medical leave in a “sickout” over the past week apparently in an attempt to escape the vaccination mandate deadline imposed by the US authorities.
According to New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Daniel Nigro, the number of medical leave cases have dramatically increased since the city has set a deadline for the unions’ vaccination, with about 700 people calling out sick per day, compared to about 200 people generally.
“Our fire officers’ union is not participating in this medical leave ... but our firefighters most definitely are,” he said during a briefing. “I asked them to rethink this, to remember their oath of office.”
The sickouts and the possibility of their spread to other US states have raised concerns about staffing shortages, which can lead to increased call response times.
Meanwhile, Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro has rejected the speculations regarding an organized sickout, although he slammed the mandate in a tweet.
“By the commissioners own admission, the majority of members on sick leave are unvaccinated,” Ansbro said. “They would not be working because they were sent home by @NYCMayor de Blasio’s dangerous mandate. You can’t have it both ways. This crisis is clearly on the Mayor.”
The clock is ticking for companies that want to continue gaining federal contracts under an executive order by Democratic President Joe Biden, which requires all contractor employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 8.
That means federal contract workers need to have received their last Covid-19 shot at least two weeks before the deadline to gain maximum protection, according to US government guidance.
With a three-week gap between shots of the Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech vaccine, workers must get the first jab by Wednesday. If the government holds fast to its deadline, it is already too late to choose Moderna's (MRNA.O) vaccine, which is given in two doses four weeks apart. Workers could opt to get Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) single-shot vaccine until Nov. 24 to meet the deadline.
The mandate has stirred protests from workers in industries across the country, as well as from Republican state officials.
Opposition to the mandate could potentially lead to thousands of US workers losing their jobs and imperil an already sluggish economic recovery, union leaders, workers and company executives said.
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