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Advocates for city employees fired in 2022 for refusing to get the Covid vaccine have made a renewed push to get the workers reinstated.
In an open letter published on the Teachers for Choice website Monday, a trio of advocates for the fired workers urge Mayor Eric Adams “to direct the city’s legal team to settle or withdraw, where appropriate, all legal actions opposing NYC educators, firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers, and medical professionals who lost their jobs for declining to get the COVID vaccine when it was mandated.”
Thousands of city workers were let go in February 2022 for refusing to comply with the Covid vaccine mandate. Although the directive was lifted a year later, city workers seeking reinstatement were required to sign a waiver prohibiting them from suing over back pay or civil-service rights in order to return. Many of the fired workers have refused to sign the waiver.
Employees who return to work for the city more than a year after their departure are alsoconsidered rehires and lose their seniority, according to civil-service rules.
The group called on the mayor to settle or withdraw legal cases involving former city workers who lost their job due to the city’s Covid vaccine mandate for public employees.
“The absence of these dedicated professionals has noticeably impacted public safety, education, and healthcare, creating challenges for the community as a whole,” the letter, written by Tramell Thompson, the vice president of Transport Workers Union Local 100; Sophy Medina, a former FDNY firefighter and co-founder of Bravest for Choice; and former New Jersey Assemblyman Jamel Holley, says.
‘Heal, rebuild’
The authors also point out there were inconsistencies in relation to which workers received an exemption from the vaccine mandate or were never subjected to the directive in the first place. For example, employees at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were not subject to the vaccine mandate while police officers working in the same subway system were required to get the shot, the letter notes.
“How do these disparities reflect equal justice under the law for NYC workers?” the writers ask
The letter prompts the mayor to come to a solution to quickly rehire the terminated employees before the school year starts in September.
“We encourage you to develop a thoughtful plan to provide fair compensation for lost wages through a structured agreement, ideally in time for the upcoming school year, particularly for educators to help fill significant gaps in critical services,” the authors wrote.
Among the 1,430 workers who were fired in February 2022 for failing to comply with the vax mandate, nearly two-thirds, or more than 900, were Department of Education employees. The letter pointed out that there was an “urgent need for trained professionals.”
Adams and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos last spring announced that the city public school system will hire 3,700 teachers to meet a state mandate to lower class sizes. The educators will be placed at 750 schools and are expected to start in the fall.
But to fully comply with the law by September 2028, the city’s Independent Budget Office estimated in 2023 that the city would need to hire 17,700 teachers. The IBO’s analysis determined that 11,000 of the posts were unfilled vacancies.
In their letter, Thompson, Medina and Holley also urge unions representing city workers, including the United Federation of Teachers and the Uniformed Firefighters Association “to stand firmly in support of displaced workers who deserve to return to their roles.” They also called on the Trump administration to act as “as supportive partner” in the workers’ fight for reinstatement.
The letter asks Adams to “heal” and “rebuild.”
“New York City stands at a defining moment, with a unique opportunity to build on your strengths as Mayor. We respectfully urge you to embrace this moment, lead with empathy, restore fairness, and guide the city toward meaningful solutions.”
“Finally, we call on all involved to act swiftly and collaboratively to pursue outcomes that serve the best interests of all New Yorkers,” the letter concludes.
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