Chicago is not the only city facing backlash from unions and city workers about a COVID vaccine mandate.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is not kind to the unions, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the unions on national TV:
“There are some union leaders who have stepped up in recent days and said, ‘OK, guys, the law is the law, this went to court, it was decided it’s time to get vaccinated,’ ” the mayor said. “Some union leaders have done the right thing. I want to give them credit.“But several unions have been, in my view, downright unpatriotic the way they’ve handled this, because they have put their own internal politics ahead of the needs of the people.”
I started the video right before de Blasio’s insult so you don’t have to listen to the man speak just to hear his voice.
New York City lost 9,000 city workers since they did not get the COVID vaccine. They are on leave without pay.
Around 12,000 workers applied for religious or medical exemptions.
De Blasio claimed the city has not seen any “disruptions to any city services” because people have picked “up the slack.”
I’m guessing private citizens? Are they picking up the slack when it comes to the trash?
New York media reports garage has been piling up around the city since sanitation workers protested the vaccine mandate. It’s about to get worse because 17% of the sanitation workers are on the leave without pay list:
Garbage piled up and the city admitted it did experience a “gap” in service as the clock ticked down to Monday’s deadline to get a COVID vaccine.That’s exactly what it looked like in Gramercy Park Sunday evening, minutes before crews, who normally have the day off, scooped up the mess.”We are continuing to make up for the backlogged service, we believe we will be day on day, meaning Monday material only at some point today,” New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson said.
New York City also lost 18 fire companies:
“They knew this was coming,” said Andrew Ansbro, Uniformed Firefighters Association President. “I pray it doesn’t cost the life of a citizen or a firefighter.”With so many firefighters remaining unvaccinated or out sick, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association says that engine and ladder companies are riding short and that’s a danger to the city. The union pushing for more time for its members to get vaccinated.—Meanwhile, of the nearly 11,000 firefighters about 23% remain unvaccinated. As far as sick leave, 2,300 members are out, more than half of them happen to be unvaccinated. Union leaders say not to misinterpret those numbers.”We take great exception to the assertions that NYC firefighters, allegedly in the thousands, are faking medical leave because of the mandate,” said Edward Kelly, International Association of Firefighters, President.”Understaffing could end immediately if members stopped going sick when they weren’t sick,” Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. “We hope that ends very soon and we can go back to staffing our units as they should be.”
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