PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A week after saying it supported a negotiated COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the teachers union says the district hasn’t reached out about one yet. With in-person classes scheduled to begin Aug. 31, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan says, "the clock is ticking."
The PFT last Monday said it would accept a negotiated vaccine mandate for staff. In a statement, Jordan said he received a phone call from schools Superintendent Dr. William Hite last week after a news conference during which Hite and Mayor Jim Kenney said they were looking into a mandate.
Jordan said there has been no formal proposal from the School District of Philadelphia since then.
"The fact that we have very clearly shared our support for a negotiated mandate, and yet the district has yet to formally ask for one, is simply absurd," Jordan said.
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"We continue to stay in communication with our unions on a variety of topics," school district spokeswoman Monica Lewis wrote in an email to KYW Newsradio.
The PFT and the district are also facing a labor contract deadline. The current contract expires on Aug. 31. Hite has said labor talks are taking place separately from any vaccine negotiations.