City of Pittsburgh “The Pandemic is Still Here!” Maintains Vaccine Mandate
The City of Pittsburgh is determined to keep pushing the broadly now discredited and demonstrably unsafe COVID-19 shots, requiring them for all non-union city employees and all new hires and promotions regardless of union status.
The move clearly demonstrates the city’s fear of the courts, as police and fire unions have been consistently opposed to this policy and would likely sue and delay or stop its implementation.
Local news WPXI Channel 11 broke an investigative report that turned up internal emails that confirmed the policy was set by the Mayor’s Office to become effective November 1st.
A federal judge recently severed a complaint by 15 plaintiffs against Allegheny Co. that charged the county and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald with violating their constitutional rights by terminating them because they declared they could not make reasonable accommodations for employees with religious exemptions. The ruling means the plaintiffs will need to refile their cases individually. To read an account of the actions of the county that led to the lawsuit, read Shane Chesher’s account here.
WPXI’s Chief Investigator, Rich Earl, spoke with the mayor and his communications director yesterday.
Earle: You are continuing your vaccination policy, tell me why?
Mayor Gainey: We’re going to be working on it. That’s something we are going to be talking about moving forward. We understand because even myself had an episode of COVID three or four weeks ago.
The Mayor would not address specifics, so we pressed his communications director.
“At this point in time, we are not we are not ready to fully talk about it until it’s final and ready to go,” said Maria Montano, Mayor Gainey’s communication director.
She, too, would not talk about the policy that is set to take effect on Nov. 1, 2023, until Earle read her an email he obtained outlining the new policy.
“So, vaccinations are required as a condition of employment for all new city employees and current employees before being promoted,” said Earle.
Earle: That’s the policy? That will be the policy?
Montano: Correct, that will be the policy.
The city will continue the vaccine mandate even though other major cities, like Boston, New York and Philadelphia have all ended the mandate.
Earle: Why did the city decide to push forward with this policy when everyone else seems to be disbanding it?
Montano: Because the reality is the pandemic is still here, people are still getting sick, and as public servants, we should do all that we can to help protect the public.
Under the city’s policy, only those employees who are up-to-date on vaccinations will be given five sick days if they come down with COVID-19.
Employees are allowed to petition for religious and medical exemptions.
The police union fought the vaccine mandate and won the right to negotiate it in bargaining. But they lost the ability to fight it for all new hires and any officers up for promotions.
Earle reached out to the police union and they said they would release a statement soon.
Earle also contacted the fire union and they declined to comment at this time.