Union protests New York-Presbyterian's COVID vaccine mandate for staff

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The largest healthcare union in the United States held a rally on Thursday, protesting one of the biggest hospital group's policy of COVID vaccination or termination.

The demonstrators said the shouldn't be required to be vaccinated in order to keep their jobs.

New York-Presbyterian Health System announced the new mandate last month in a company-wide message to its 48,000 employees in which workers were told they must receive at least one shot by September 1.

"During the past year, we all witnessed the most severe global health crisis in a century," the letter read. "You worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic to bring our patients and communities through it. Now, thanks to the advent of effective COVID-19 vaccines, we can look forward with hope and relief for the first time in over a year. There is, however, one more important action we all must take: get vaccinated."

ALSO READ | Mask compliance falls in NYC subway stations as COVID infection rate rises

MTA officials have been watching the trend for the past several weeks. Fewer people are wearing face coverings in the New York City transit system.

"We believe that our members are best equipped to make the healthcare decisions that are right for their bodies and for their families," 1199SEIU Communications Director Cara Noel said. "We have been promoting vaccination, but to make vaccination a condition of employement is absolutely wrong."

But the union calls the mandate "unacceptable and unnecessary," saying that despite the devastation they've seen firsthand from COVID-19, "deep-seated fears held by some healthcare workers should not be disregarded."

The mandate is in addition to existing vaccination requirements against influenza, measles, rubella, and varicella. Any exemptions must be applied for by August 1.

Just Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City health care workers will have a choice to either be vaccinated or test weekly.

RELATED | 'Fair choice': NYC health workers must get vaccine or test weekly

While many have stepped up, the number of unvaccinated hospital workers remains a concern.

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