Boston City Workers Vaccine Mandate Paused By State Appeals Court
BOSTON — A judge in the Massachusetts Appeals Court has temporarily paused Boston's vaccination mandate for its city workers that was set to start Monday, the Boston Globe reported Thursday.
The order came from a single appeals court judge - Associate Justice Sabita Singh, Boston 25 said.
"The City of Boston's COVID-19 Vaccine Verification or Required Testing Policy mandating that employees represented by the plaintiff unions be vaccinated and verify their full vaccination status is temporarily stayed pending review of the Superior Court's January 12, 2022 order denying the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction and further order of this court or a single justice thereof," Singh ruled Thursday.
"The City now, per the court order, will not be able to enforce the mandate against firefighters, police supervisors or detectives until our appeal has been heard and decided on," The Boston Police Superior Officers Federation said in a statement after the ruling. "We invite the Mayor, in a show of good faith, to hold off applying the mandate as to teachers and patrol officers given ongoing labor concerns."
The vaccine mandate Boston Mayor Michelle Wu put into place was expected to go into effect Monday after it was pushed back twice. The original deadline for vaccination proof was Jan. 15.
The suit was filed Wednesday by the Boston Firefighters Union Local 718, the Boston Police Superior Officer Federation, and the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, the Globe reported.
The Boston Police Patrolman's Association also voted Wednesday against an agreement with the city which would have created mental health benefits and wellness days for vaccinated officers, but remove the option of weekly testing for unvaccinated workers.
"Over the past few months, Mayor Wu has undermined collective bargaining and the labor rights of so many city workers. This has never been an anti-vaccine issue," The Boston Police Superior Officers Federation said in a statement after the ruling, "Mayor Wu ignored written agreements and refused to meet with unions in good faith. The unions never espoused any anti-vaccine sentiments or conspiracy theories. We voiced labor concerns."
Wu remains firm on her stance of a vaccine requirement despite the pushback.
"The goal of this was not to punish anyone for how they might feel about vaccination but to ensure that our city workers are safe and that any resident interacting with our city workforce is safe," Wu said Monday afternoon during an appearance on WBUR's "Radio Boston," the Globe said.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Wu said 18,265 employees have already been vaccinated.
Boston Firefighters Union Local 718 is expected to address the judge's ruling at 4:00 p.m. Monday.
This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch
