San Francisco strikes to droop staff for not disclosing vaccination standing | Nationwide

Nearly 20 San Francisco police, fire and sheriff workers face a 10-day unpaid suspension for refusing to reveal their COVID-19 vaccination status by the city’s Aug. 12 deadline.

The staff – including eight in the police force, seven in the fire department and two in the sheriff’s department – received letters from their department heads this week informing them of the possible disciplinary action, the San Francisco Chronicle reported first.

Hundreds more can be notified next week.

“The health and well-being of city workers and the public we serve is a top priority during our emergency response to COVID-19,” officials said in the letter received on the Chronicle. “Your failure to comply with vaccination status reporting endangers the health and safety of the city’s workers and the public we serve.”

San Francisco was the first major city and county in California to announce mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for its employees.

Most employees have 10 weeks to get their vaccinations after the Food and Drug Administration finally approves at least one of the vaccines, but some who work in high-risk environments need to be vaccinated even earlier, officials said.

The August 12 deadline only required employees to report whether they had received their cans.

Almost all of the city’s 36,000 workers have reported their status on time, and around 90% of them have already been vaccinated, said Mawuli Tugbenyoh, head of the ministry’s human resources department.

However, a small number did not respond. These are the ones who are now facing a suspension.

“These suspensions are being pushed as a last resort,” said Tugbenyoh. “We don’t want to be disciplined with any employee, but our number one priority is the health and safety of both the public and our workforce. Unvaccinated individuals pose a safety risk to both.”

As the city recommends the suspensions, each department will make the final call and allow most workers to appeal, he said.

Individual requests for exemption from vaccinations based on valid medical or serious religious beliefs will also be considered by the city.

San Francisco, like much of California and the country, has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly communicable Delta variant.

The county is among the most heavily vaccinated in the state, with 78.2% of residents receiving at least one dose, according to The Los Angeles Times Tracker. The threat of an unpaid suspension reflects the seriousness with which officials are taking the crisis.

Still, there were setbacks.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association said earlier this month that many employees would retire if forced to get the vaccine.

About 160 out of 700 deputy sheriffs are not vaccinated and “prefer to mask and test weekly,” the group said.

In June, nearly 200 city officials filed letters to Human Resources against the vaccination mandate, which they believed violated religious and constitutional rights.

And at least one city employee – fire fighter Eigil Qwist – has filed a lawsuit, the Chronicle reported.

The issue has been hotly debated, but federal and state agencies have confirmed employers may require vaccinations. Governor Gavin Newsom has already issued vaccination mandates for state and health workers, and President Joe Biden has announced that he will require vaccinations or rigorous testing for federal employees.

Los Angeles City Council this week voted to require COVID-19 vaccines for city workers and will not allow them to opt for testing instead.

Tugbenyoh said the next hurdle in San Francisco will be getting those employees who responded on time – but haven’t been vaccinated – to get their vaccinations.

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