Boston's Largest Police Union Votes Against Vaccine Agreement

BOSTON — Boston's largest union in the police department voted against an agreement with the city Wednesday that would have created mental health benefits and wellness days for vaccinated officers.

The Boston Police Patrolman's Association says 900 out of its 1,600 members voted against the agreement, which was an incentive Mayor Michelle Wu's Office proposed to help get the remainder of the workers vaccinated, union officials said.

The police patrolman's union is still looking for mental health and wellness days but wants to freeze the mandated booster shot, the union said.

The vaccine mandate Wu put in place is expected to go into effect Monday after it was pushed back twice. All city employees are expected to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or they will be put on unpaid leave.

Boston unions argue the mandate violates their collective bargaining agreements, and while Kim Janey was acting as mayor over the summer, unions worked out a deal to allow weekly testing instead of getting the vaccine.

Boston firefighters also protested the mandate during Wu's press conference earlier this week, saying they were filing another injunction to try to stop it.

"The membership of the BPPA have spoken overwhelmingly to reject the offer that the city has made to us. It is not enough," the Boston Globe reported union President Larry Calderone saying at the union hall in Dorchester after voting closed.

"It's deeply disappointing that a fringe group pushing conspiracy theories and anti-vax ideology has undermined the collective bargaining process," Wu said in a statement. "We will continue taking strong steps to protect the health and safety of all our residents during the pandemic."

The union, who says about 93% of its members are already vaccinated, said Wu's office mentioned rehiring members who decide to get vaccinated later, but the union says that won't fix anything.

This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch