NYC making push to get fired workers vaccinated, rehired

NYC making push to get fired workers vaccinated, rehired

Firefighters rally outside Mayor Bill De Blasio's residence Gracie Mansion to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in New York. The city is bracing for a worker shortage as tens of thousands of municipal employees remain unvaccinated. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is making a push to give city workers who were fired earlier this year for not getting to the COVID-19 vaccine a chance to get their old jobs back if they get vaccinated. In February, the city fired more than 1,400 workers who failed to comply with the vaccine mandate put in place by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. Unvaccinated non-Department of Education workers are receiving a letter with details, and DOE employees are expected to receive a letter later in the summer. A city spokesperson says 97% of workers are vaccinated and that the goal has always been “vaccination rather than termination.”

Photo: Firefighters rally outside Mayor Bill De Blasio’s residence Gracie Mansion to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)