9,000 NYC Workers Put on Unpaid Leave for Refusing to Get Vaxxed
JAB OR JOB?
After failing to meet Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mandatory vaccination deadline on Monday, about 9,000 New York City employees were placed on unpaid leave, reports USA Today. Over 90 percent of NYC workers have already been vaccinated, according to a tweet from de Blasio, and the number continues to rise. The police department had an 84 percent vaccination rate as of Monday and the fire department was at 77 percent. EMTs hit 88 percent, while sanitation was at 83 percent. Out of the 11,000 firefighters employed by the city, more than 2,000 have taken sick days recently, which many feared would cause slower service. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro refuted the claim, saying no firehouses have closed despite “irresponsible, bogus sick leave by some of our members [that] is creating a danger for New Yorkers and their fellow firefighters.”