PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s vaccine mandate for city employees has been postponed again.
Monday was scheduled to be the deadline for workers to show proof that they’d gotten at least one vaccine dose or apply for an exemption, but an arbitration panel has imposed an indefinite delay.
The panel overseeing the city’s arbitration with the police union over the mandate has requested more information about vaccine rates among workers. It told the city it will decide on a new deadline depending on what the data shows.
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An attorney for the city said data delivered to the panel on Friday showed about 95% of Philadelphia Police Department employees have complied with the mandate. She did not say what new information the panel is seeking, and she could not say when the panel may respond to that information and set a new date.
The delay was disclosed at a hearing in the firefighters’ suit to halt the vaccine mandate for its union altogether. That hearing has been continued since the urgency of the deadline is no longer immediate.
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The mandate, issued in November, was originally supposed to take effect on Jan. 14. It’s been delayed a couple of times before this by arbitrators.
Three of the four city unions agreed to the mandate. Only the firefighters are holding out.
The Philadelphia Fire Department has the lowest vaccine rate of all city departments — in the 60% to 70% range — and that hasn’t changed in weeks, even when the deadline for getting vaccinated or being placed on leave was getting closer.
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