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New York City’s Coronavirus Vaccine Carve Outs Ruffles Union Feathers


Last Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference in which he announced that professional sports players, entertainers, musicians, and DJs would not be required to be vaccinated in order to play or perform in New York City.

Readers might recall that New York City enacted one of the most stringent coronavirus vaccine policies in the country which included requirements that New York City athletes, entertainers, musicians, and DJs get the coronavirus vaccine or be barred from playing or performing in the city.  New York City’s coronavirus vaccine policy also required many public and private sector employees to get vaccinated as well or face termination.  (Note, approximately 1,400 public employees were terminated over their failure to get vaccinated.)

While some cheered the Mayor’s decision to ease coronavirus vaccine mandates for certain players and performers, labor unions pushed back and argued these carve outs should exist for unvaccinated public and private sector employees in the city as well.  Critics have argued that at a minimum, police and firefighters should be afforded the same exception provided to athletes and performers, given the necessity of having these public workers on the job.

For the time being, this carve out has not been extended beyond last Thursday’s announcement.  Can organized labor in the city assert its influence and get the Mayor to institute another carve out for public and private sector employees?  I would be curious to find out.


For additional information:  https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/3/24/22995486/adams-kyrie-irving-carve-out-nyc-unions-workers-angry

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