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Pentagon May Not Immediately Fire Vaccine Resisters
Facing criticism that mandates for coronavirus vaccinations could force the Defense Department to fire thousands of civilians, contractors and troops, the Biden administration is signaling that vaccine resisters may get more time to comply.
President Joe Biden and administration officials have previously said Pentagon employees and contractors have to be vaccinated or face termination on a series of upcoming deadlines. This has led to fears that thousands of people responsible for national defense may soon be forced out of their jobs. Virtually every day, Republican lawmakers decry what they describe as a national security crisis in the offing.
Wave of Dismissals Next? Thousands of USAF Troops Reject Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
International Business Times reported:
Thousands of U.S. Air Force employees have refused to comply with a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. troops, raising concerns about the employee shortage that could result from the wave of refusals.
So far, up to 12,000 airmen have refused full vaccination. There has been apparent pushback from U.S. troops since the order was issued by the Pentagon in August. There is also a growing concern over the possibility of worker loss in defense firms due to the mandate.
‘Striketober’: Mass Resistance to Vaccination Is Carefully Hidden From View by Organized Labor Union Strikes
It is perhaps a sign of the waning influence of the mainstream media that even though they have been incessantly pumping the concept of “Striketober” for the past month, the majority of Americans rarely mention it.
The source of worker shortages, supply chain bottlenecks and a lot of our stagflationary issues can be traced directly back to the government’s COVID restrictions and the COVID welfare programs. Get rid of the restrictions, the mandates and the COVID checks and over time the crisis will disappear. It really is that simple. However, the establishment does not want you to see it that way.
NYC Braces for Fewer Cops, More Trash as Vax Deadline Looms
Mounting trash. Closed firehouses. Fewer police and ambulances on the street.
That’s the possibility New York City is bracing for come Monday as a COVID-19 vaccine mandate looms and thousands of municipal workers remain unwilling to get the shots.
Police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors and most other city workers face a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to show proof they’ve gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Workers who don’t comply will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday.
6 Teachers, 1 Counselor Fired From Granada Hills Charter High School for Refusing to Get Vaccinated
Seven employees at Granada Hills Charter High School have been fired from their jobs after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The counselor and six teachers who were terminated said they plan on filing a lawsuit against the school and its governing board.
“We were given the impossible option of choosing between our deeply held beliefs or our livelihoods,” Dr. Angela Karapetyan, a math teacher, said in a statement. “Now we’re fighting for our right to preserve both. We are willing to accept any reasonable accommodations including daily testing and wearing masks to protect our students, while also trying to protect our own family’s well-being.”
State Cracking Down on Nursing Homes for Failing to Enforce COVID Vaccine Mandates
Connecticut is cracking down on dozens of nursing homes for failing to enforce vaccine mandates.
The state Department of Public Health (DPH) has hit nursing homes and long-term care facilities with fines.
Some of the fines the organizations face going forward were significant. However, the big question has been whether or not the DPH will actually get more facilities to enforce the mandates. It called the issue a major problem.
Biden Vaccine Rule Will Let Employers Make Workers Pay for Tests
Bloomberg Law via MSN reported:
The Biden administration’s highly anticipated vaccine mandate rule for private-sector employers will allow businesses to force workers who refuse to get the COVID-19 shot to pay for required weekly tests and masks, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The emergency rule, which will apply to companies with at least 100 employees and is expected to be released next week, will give employers the option of paying for testing and masks for unvaccinated workers or compelling those employees to foot the bill themselves, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they didn’t have approval to discuss the rulemaking.
Unvaccinated workers will be required to wear masks while indoors and in close contact with coworkers, the sources said.
Citigroup to Require U.S. Employees Be Vaccinated Against COVID
Citigroup will require all of its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, the nation’s third-biggest bank said Thursday.
Although other major financial institutions are requiring the shots for new hires or workers returning to the office, Citi is the first major lender to make inoculation against the coronavirus a condition of employment.
Citi is requesting that its roughly 65,000 workers in the U.S. submit proof of vaccination by Dec. 8, with a $200 bonus offered to those who do, the company said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Issues Executive Order Against Biden Vaccine Mandates
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported:
Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday issued an executive order targeting federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but some observers were quick to assert that the order would have little effect in Missouri.
The executive order directs state offices within the executive branch to “cooperate fully and timely” with any legal actions Attorney General Eric Schmitt takes against such mandates coming from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Ruling: Can’t Fire Unvaccinated While Mandate Is Challenged
Louisiana’s largest health system cannot fire or otherwise discipline north Louisiana employees who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 while the mandate’s legality is in court, a state appeals court says.
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport ruled Thursday, just a day before Ochsner Health’s Friday deadline for its 32,000 employees across Louisiana and in a small part of Mississippi to be fully vaccinated or face dismissal.
Iowans Fired for Defying COVID Vaccine Mandates Would Get Unemployment Benefits Under Bill Passed Thursday
Iowans could have wider latitude to claim medical and religious exemptions from employer COVID-19 vaccination mandates — and would qualify for unemployment benefits if a business fires them for not complying — under a bill state lawmakers approved Thursday.
The bill, which immediately drew criticism both from business representatives and from opponents of vaccine mandates, would mark a significant change in the way Iowa approaches vaccination requirements by employers if Gov. Kim Reynolds signs it into law.
Maine Begins Enforcing Health Worker Vaccine Requirement
The deadline for Maine to begin enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for healthcare workers arrived on Friday.
Northern Light Health announced that unvaccinated workers would no longer be working at its 10 hospitals as of Saturday. In Lewiston, Central Maine Medical Center is already in compliance, meaning unvaccinated staff members aren’t allowed to work.
MaineHealth, the state’s largest healthcare provider, said Friday was the last day for workers to submit paperwork showing compliance with the requirement. Those who do not comply will be terminated.
