NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Protesters descended on City Hall Friday as thousands of New York City municipal workers were set to be fired for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Even as some COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed in New York state, Mayor Eric Adams is not backing down from a plan to dismiss about 3,000 city workers who haven’t received at least one vaccine dose.
At a news conference Thursday, Adams insisted the unvaccinated workers are not being fired. He said it’s their choice and that they’re “quitting” for not “following the rules.”
“I want them to stay,” the mayor said. “I want them to be employees of the city, but they have to follow the rules that were in place before my administration.”
The unvaccinated workers represent a small share of the city’s 370,000-person workforce, of whom about 95% have gotten at least one shot.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the vaccine requirement for municipal workers in October. Workers who lost their bids for exemption had until this week to show proof of vaccination.
But unions representing workers aren’t backing down. Over two dozen unions, including those representing teachers, firefighters and police, filed another lawsuit Tuesday after previous challenges were unsuccessful.
Earlier this week, city workers walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in protest.
Another protest, dubbed the “Ferry to Freedom Rally,” took place outside City Hall on Friday afternoon.
Workers from Queens and Staten Island took the Staten Island Ferry to Lower Manhattan and walked to City Hall for the midday protest. Several hundred people were at City Hall Park, including Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani, the son of the former mayor.
Attorney Louis Gelormino, who represents some of the 700 teachers who face termination, insists the educators were denied due process. He said teachers have served well and will keep fighting.
“We’re not anti-vaccination. I’m fully vaccinated,” Gelormino said. “We’re pro-vax, but we’re also pro-choice.”
He said the teachers include pregnant mothers who are getting fired “because they don’t want to take a vaccination and put something in their body.”
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