NEW YORK – Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that New York City will require all of its municipal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The entire city workforce must get at least one dose of a vaccine by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, the Mayor's Office said. The mandate takes effect on Nov. 1.
The vaccine mandate will eliminate the current testing option for unvaccinated workers.
De Blasio said employees who get their first shot at a city-run vaccination site will get an extra $500 in their paychecks.
Those who don't get vaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave until they show proof of vaccination to their supervisor. The city said it will begin impact bargaining with unions immediately.
“It’s a mandate now for all city agencies, all city workers. It’s time for everyone to get vaccinated. Our public employees are going to lead us out of the COVID era,” de Blasio said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“Our police officers, our EMTs, our firefighters, all of our public employees. A lot of them come in very close contact with their fellow New Yorkers. They need to be safe, their families need to be safe, but we also need to reassure all New Yorkers that if you’re working with a public employee, they’re vaccinated, everyone’s going to be safe,” the mayor said.
Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi will sign an order Wednesday to formalize the mandate, which will immediately apply to 160,500 additional city workers. Of those, about 71% are already partially or fully vaccinated, officials said.
While the city already requires vaccinations for educators and public healthcare workers, who both have vaccination rates over 95%, the new rule would apply to city workers like police and firefighters, whose vaccination rates are lower at 70% and 60%, respectively.
The Police Benevolent Association, which represents members of the NYPD, reacted to the mandate in a statement from its president, Patrick Lynch.
“From the beginning of the de Blasio administration‘s haphazard vaccine rollout, we have fought to make the vaccine available to every member who chooses it, while also protecting their right to make that personal medical decision in consultation with their own doctor,” Lynch said. “Now that the city has moved to unilaterally impose a mandate, we will proceed with legal action to protect our members’ rights.”
Officials said many uniformed members of the Department of Correction will have about a month longer—until Dec. 1—to comply with the new mandate, as the city is working to address an ongoing staffing issue at Rikers Island. However, the DOC's civilian workforce, as well as uniformed members assigned to healthcare settings, are subject to the Nov. 1 mandate like other city workers.
“There is no greater privilege than serving the people of New York City, and that privilege comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your community safe,” de Blasio said in a statement early Wednesday. “We have led the way against COVID-19 – from fighting for the right to vaccinate frontline workers, to providing nation-leading incentives, to creating the Key to NYC mandate. As we continue our recovery for all of us, city workers have been a daily inspiration. Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all.”
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