If you are reading the news lately, you have probably read about New York’s city-wide vaccine mandate. Recently, New York City released an ordinance that stated all private-sector employees must show proof of being vaccinated.
What does the mandate say?
The mandate states that by December 27th, all private-sector employees must implement a mandatory vaccination policy for their workers. Workers need to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The ordinance qualifies workers as full-time and part-time workers, employers, interns, volunteers, and contractors of a different entity. By February 10th, all workers need to be able to record that they have gotten their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. If workers do not provide this proof, they must be excluded from the workplace.
The guidance goes more into detail, like, a worker’s residence is not relevant to this mandate, only the workplace’s address. Notably, employers do not have to fire their employees, just making sure that unvaccinated workers are out of the workplace. Workers can come in for a “quick and limited purpose” such as clocking in before an assignment, using the bathroom, or making a delivery. Workers can receive religious accommodations if it is applicable, with those applications due December 27th.
What happens now?
Here in Chicago, no such mandate exists…yet. Here in the second city, as New York goes, Chicago is often soon to follow. The country will watch closely how the NYC mandate is rolled out and what sort of compliance levels are met.
New York City, a fine of $1,000 and additional penalties for those who fail to comply. How will city workers react to penalties? Curious eyes will be closely watching.
As we have discussed in previous blogs, workplace mandates are legal. For those who are on the fence about vaccination, seek the advice of a medical professional. For those with questions about exemptions, please feel free to reach out to Cramer Law. And in the meantime, stay tuned to see if Chicago comes out with a similar mandate.
For more information about the ordinance, check https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-workplace-requirement.page
If you have any questions about vaccine mandates in Chicago, please see our website https://cramer-law.com/ and feel free to contact us.
