NYC Mayor de Blasio teacher vaccination mandate allowed by judge to proceed
Opponents to the ruling vow 'this is not the end of the road'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New York state judge ruled Wednesday to lift a temporary injunction against mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers in New York City.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Laurence Love vacated a temporary restraining order he had imposed on the mandate while a considering a case brought by the Municipal Labor Committee, which represents 350,000 city workers.
The labor unions argued that Mayor Bill de Blasio's order from July, which mandated vaccinations for city workers, violated due process rights.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Love's ruling, approximately 5,000 New York Department of Education (DoE) teachers will have to be vaccinated by Monday, in addition to 250,000 other municipal workers, who will have to be vaccinated or be tested every week.
"We are deeply disappointed that the temporary injunction has been lifted. This is not the end of the road and we will continue to fight for the right of workers to make their own healthcare decisions," said Henry Garrido, who is the executive director of New York City's largest municipal employees union.
"The vast majority of District Council 37 members are vaccinated. For those still making up their minds, force is not the answer. The schools should implement weekly testing if they truly want to keep everyone safe," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This case has already led to progress in protecting the rights of our members, since the city — in the wake of the court’s initial issuance of the restraining order — admitted that there can be exceptions to the vaccine mandate," said Municipal Labor Committee Chair Harry Nespoli. "The court — while lifting the restraining order — has not made a final decision, and we are preparing additional material to support our case."
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Danielle Filson, a spokeswoman for the New York Department of Education, praised the ruling, saying, "This is a big win for New York City children and Department of Education employees. Their health and safety is at the very core of this vaccine mandate, and we are pleased the court recognized the city’s legal authority."