NEW YORK (WABC) — There has been a sharp backlash since New York City Mayor Eric Adams lifted a mandate to vaccinate professional athletes and entertainers, but not city workers.
The policy change means unvaccinated Mets and Yankees players, as well as Nets star Kyrie Irving, can now compete in the city.
But unions representing other workers, including police, firefighters and teachers, accuse the mayor of double standards. In some cases, they threaten legal action.
Adams says he made the decision to help the economy.
“By putting our home teams on a level playing field, we increase their chances of winning and then have a real impact on our city. These are not fans in the stands, but people in the shops.”
The mayor is now being criticized by almost all major municipalities.
Unions representing teachers, police, corrections officers, EMTs and paramedics want exemptions to be extended to city workers.
They also call for the recall of laid-off workers or compensation for lost wages.
95% of these workers received at least one dose of the vaccine.
About 1,400 employees were fired for not getting it.
The United Federation of Teachers released a statement stating, in part:
“If the rules are suspended, especially for powerful individuals, then the UFT and other city unions are ready to discuss how exceptions can be applied to city workers.”
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the city’s largest police union, which sued the city over the mandate, was furious.
“We’ve been suing the city for months over its arbitrary and capricious vaccination mandate – that’s exactly what we’re talking about,” PBA President Pat Lynch said. “If famous people don’t need a mandate, then neither do the policemen who protect our city in the midst of a criminal crisis. While celebrities were on lockdown, NYPD cops have been on the streets throughout the pandemic. working without proper personal protective equipment and in many cases contracting and recovering from COVID themselves. They don’t deserve to be treated like second-class citizens now.”
Adams’ move comes as NBA and NHL playoff races heat up and Major League Baseball prepares for Opening Day.
In fact, Adams has officially announced the change for athletes and performers at Citi Field, where the Mets play.
The exception, announced on Thursday morning, took effect immediately.
The municipal labor committee, an umbrella group of unions that together represent some 350,000 city workers, said the city should offer laid-off workers the opportunity to return to their jobs.
“When New York was closed, many workers were ordered to come in every day without vaccines to keep the city open,” said Chairman Harry Nespolly. “These workers often fell ill, and when they got better, they immediately returned to work. There should be a re-employment program for workers to return to their jobs. There can’t be one system for the elite and another for the core workers of our city. We are ready to work out the details with the mayor, as we have throughout this process.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she was concerned about the mayor’s “increasingly ambiguous messages”.
“This exemption sends the wrong signal that highly paid workers and celebrities are valued as more important than our dedicated public servants, which I reject,” she said. “This is a step towards pursuing sound public health policies that prioritize fairness.”
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Adams’ predecessor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, made vaccination mandatory as a workplace safety rule last year before leaving office.
Jay Varma, de Blasio’s health adviser, tweeted that the mandate is legal because it applies to everyone.
“#VaccinesWork…unless you are rich and powerful, in which case #LobbyingWorks,” Varma wrote. “#KyrieCarveOut is opening the city for the whole scheme to be quashed by the courts as ‘arbitrary and capricious’.”
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Irving, who abstained from vaccination, was one of the most famous people affected. He was able to rejoin the team in January, but only when they played out of town.
This month there were concerns that the rule would also affect Major League Baseball.
Yankees star Aaron Judge declined to directly answer a question about his vaccine status earlier this month, leading to speculation that another New York team could be hurt by a player’s refusal to be vaccinated.
The Yankees, who open the season at home against the Boston Red Sox on April 7, thanked Mayor Adams for his “courageous decision.” Yankees President Randy Levin said he’s glad the mayor and health officials have taken the time they need to make this decision.
Adams is lifting vaccination mandates and other coronavirus-related restrictions, including on Tuesday when he said masks could become optional for children under 5 starting April 4.
Wearing obligations for older children have already been lifted, as well as rules requiring people to show proof of vaccination in order to dine at a restaurant, work out at the gym, attend a show, or attend an indoor sporting event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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