Thousands of unvaccinated New York city workers will lose their jobs on Friday. Friday marks the end of extended deadline period of vaccine mandate.

3,000 Workers to Lose Jobs for Refusing Vaccination

Mayor Eric Adams rejected the pleas of hundreds of municipal workers who protested against the vaccine mandate. The mayor reaffirmed the vaccine ultimatum and workers refusing vaccination will lose their jobs. The Adam’s administration is all set to axe up to 3,000 municipal workers on Friday for refusing vaccination against coronavirus. This could be the biggest workforce reduction tied to any vaccine requirement.

Majority Workers Have Fulfilled Vaccination Mandate

Around 95 percent of New York city’s 370,000 workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The state has witnessed a increase in vaccination ratio since the initial announcement of mandate in October last year. In October 2021 around 84% workers had received vaccination. Despite numerous protests, Mayor Adam’s has not shown any intent of changing the rules. More protests are planned on Friday and opponents of the mandate have filed many legal petitions as well. For example, the rules are violating protections against the free practice of religion. Many of the unvaccinated workers are on unpaid leave since the mandate went into effect last autumn.

New York was the epicenter of the pandemic when it first stared in 2020. It is not alone in implementing mandate for vaccination. San Francisco, Boston and Chicago are among the cities and states that have implemented similar rules. More than 85% of adults in New York City have fulfilled the vaccine requirement.

Lawsuits by Unions

New York has also seen resistance to its mandate from unions. Unions filed a lawsuit, arguing that the city had overstepped its authority. However, the challenges were not successful. A group of unions filed a new lawsuit on Tuesday as well. They claimed that the city was not following due process by firing workers.

City officials said the potential jobs losses will have no effect on city services. The 3,000 targeted workers are already on unpaid leave for months.

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