CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot still doesn’t have agreements from city employee unions on a vaccine mandate, but she’s not backing away from the Oct. 15 deadline for workers to be vaccinated.
Back in August, Mayor Lightfoot said all city employees must be fully vaccinated by mid-October as a condition of employment. She said negotiations have gone fairly well with most of the labor unions, a couple others, not so much.
"No the deadline is not going to be pushed back. I can tell you that with 100 percent certainty. We've had great conversations with most unions. There's kind of one tranche - it's all the unions and fire - and on the other side, the FOP and the sergeants and supervisors union," Lightfoot said.
She said the Fraternal Order of Police rank and file are not being served well by the FOP leadership.
"We should be meeting this week. Why aren't we meeting this week? They pushed us off and said oh, no, no, no we can't meet again until the week of the 27th. That makes no sense whatsoever," Lightfoot said. "What is the number one cause of death among first responders? COVID-19. It is unconscionable that the FOP is taking the position that they will not not do the right thing by their members and get them vaccinated."
Regardless, she said, the Oct. 1h deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated will not be postponed.
"All through the pandemic I heard from union after union about the concerns of their members, and I get that. But the only way we can actually make good on the promise to make the workplace safe is by getting people vaccinated," Lightfoot said.
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