A recent decision by an Administrative Law Judge could lead to court workers in New York City who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates getting rehired with back pay and interest. This decision has been hailed as a win for those who were fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to reports, at least 200 people lost their jobs as a result of the mandate. The Unified Court System announced a COVID vaccine mandate for all court employees in August of 2021, which was effective from September 27th. However, several court unions claimed that the vaccine mandate violated civil service law 209-A of the public employees Fair Employment Act.
The unions filed a charge against the State’s Unified Court System, and in February, the Judge agreed with the unions’ claims and ordered the court system to cease and desist from imposing COVID-19 vaccines and testing. The ruling also ordered the court systems to create bargaining units for employees who lost accrued leave, compensation or employment because of the mandate with interest.
The unions are still deciding how to proceed with the ruling. The decision by the Administrative Law Judge is expected to be welcomed by those who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and it could also have implications for other workplaces where vaccine mandates have been implemented.
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