Boston firefighters union calls new vaccine mandate a human-rights violation; looking at how to fight it - or get city into collective bargaining over it

While the Boston Teachers Union gave its contiguous enactment to acting Mayor Kim Janey's impending vaccination mandate for metropolis workers, Boston Firefighters Local 718 is saying contiguous it whitethorn combat the order, not due to the fact that it opposes vaccination but due to the fact that the request represents a alteration successful moving conditions without immoderate bargaining.

In an email to his members this afternoon, Local 718 President John Soares urged his members to be an Aug. 19 national gathering to sermon however the national should respond. He emphasized the union's lawyer is cautiously scrutinizing the caller request - and that helium is talking to the caput of different Boston worker unions astir imaginable agreed enactment implicit what helium called an insult to the rights of metropolis workers.

We archetypal learned of a imaginable mandatory COVID vaccination argumentation being projected by Mayor Janey for City of Boston employees successful the media astir 2 weeks ago. Learning of specified a large alteration successful moving conditions and usurpation of an individual’s quality rights nether these circumstances is not lone unacceptable but represents a deficiency of respect to the men and women who person selflessly served connected the beforehand lines since the opening of this planetary pandemic. This argumentation has generated a myriad of questions and scenarios that could person lasting effects not lone connected our members’ wellness and rights but connected the corporate bargaining process.

Boston Firefighters recognize the seriousness of the COVID microorganism due to the fact that of the idiosyncratic quality of our enactment protecting the public. Our concerns regarding mandated vaccination should not successful immoderate mode beryllium misconstrued to belittle the deadly effects of this virus. We person strived passim this pandemic to support harmless moving conditions for our members, their families, and the nationalist we serve. I americium arrogant of however we person conducted ourselves professionally during these challenging times and for the concern we person with Commissioner Dempsey. However, we deserve, similar each metropolis employees deserve, an accidental to code our concerns with a meaningful dialog connected each sides of this issue. As your President, I volition proceed to navigate this concern until a solution tin beryllium reached.