Hundreds of firefighters and supporters associated with New York City’s Uniformed Firefighters Association protested the city’s vaccine mandate Thursday at Gracie Mansion, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s official residence.
The vaccine mandate for city workers goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday. Municipal employees must show proof of receiving at least one dose of the vaccine before the deadline or face being put on unpaid leave, NBC 4 New York reports. The mandate precludes a testing alternative to those who don’t wish to receive the vaccine.
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Some 65% of New York City firefighters and 80% of EMS personnel have received the vaccine as of Thursday, according to figures announced by the mayor.
“They will be closing firehouses if you don’t have enough firefighters to staff them, and that’s absolutely what’s going to happen if you send 30% of the fire department home,” UFA President Andrew Ansbro said during the Thursday protest. “The mayor should really avoid this upcoming catastrophe. This is really an absolutely unnecessary threat.”
De Blasio has held firm on the vaccine mandate and said the situation would be handled on a “managerial level” if mass suspensions are necessary.
“Until we defeat COVID, people are not safe. If we don’t stop COVID, New Yorkers will die. We must stop COVID — and the way to do that is vaccination and that must include our public employees,” de Blasio said.
The UFA tweeted a video Thursday addressing de Blasio and the mandate.
The only thing that can stop NYC Firefighters from fulfilling their Oath is the Mayor… Not fulfilling his. pic.twitter.com/bnORQSR0T3
— FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) October 28, 2021
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“The only thing that can stop NYC firefighters from fulfilling their oath is the mayor not fulfilling his,” said a caption in the video, which then cut to an old clip of the mayor saying, “The government is supposed to listen to us when we say something is important.”
“We are telling you this is important, Bill. Why won’t you listen?” the video continued.
