New York City Police Union Files Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate - Statement

NEW YORK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2021) The New York City Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the largest police department union in the city, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Bill de Blasio's novel coronavirus vaccine mandate, the organization's president Patrick Lynch said in a letter to colleagues.

There are currently about 46,000 unvaccinated city employees who may be placed on unpaid leave if they do not get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the November 1 deadline.

"This morning, the PBA filed our lawsuit in Staten Island state Supreme Court seeking to overturn the vaccine mandate announced last week," Lynch said on Monday.

Lynch said the union will also seek a temporary restraining order to block the city and the New York Police Department from implementing the vaccine mandate while the litigation is ongoing.

De Blasio announced on Wednesday that the city's police officers, firefighters and other municipal workers need to get at least one vaccine dose by November 1 or be placed on unpaid leave. As an incentive to get vaccinated, employees will receive an extra $500 in their paycheck if they get their first shot at a city-run vaccination site, according to the city.

Earlier on Monday, thousands of police officers, firefighters and other employees for the New York City municipal government held a peaceful demonstration in the city to protest the vaccine mandate.