NYC's School Vaccine Mandate Brings Relief For Parents And Legal Threats

[MisterNiceKitty]

https://gothamist.com/news/nycs-school-vaccine-mandate-brings-relief-for-parents-and-legal-threats
BY JESSICA GOULD, WNYC

"Many parents and teachers are cheering New York City’s new vaccine mandate for public school staff, saying it makes them feel safer about classrooms reopening amid the rise of the highly contagious delta variant. But the mandate is also facing opposition. Some municipal unions are demanding officials bargain over the details such as penalties for non-compliance and are threatening legal action that could delay implementation.

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But, with the new requirement hinting at stricter rules for the general workforce, the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) voted Monday to take legal action and force the city to negotiate details of implementation, including penalties and medical exceptions. “Our members’ bargaining rights in this situation must be preserved,” Harry Nespoli, president of the MLC, which represents 350,000 city workers, said in a statement. The union is considering an injunction or lawsuit.

Crucial questions remain about what kind of consequences there will be for school staff members who refuse the shot in New York City. Under the vaccine-or-test mandate for the city’s municipal employees, workers could be suspended without pay for failing to comply. De Blasio said he would be “working through” the penalties with unions under the new policy for public schools."