In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with social worker Diane Pagen and Bravest for Choice members Matt Connor, Tim Heaton, and Jack Wei Lin after a June 24, 2024 New York City Council Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing at City Hall in Manhattan.
At the hearing, council members heard testimony in support of Resolution 5 from 17 municipal workers who were put on leave without pay and lost jobs under the City’s vaccine mandate.
Resolution 5 calls on the New York State legislature to pass, and the governor to sign, S.7466-A and a companion bill to reinstate NYC employees who were terminated due to non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
More coverage of Resolution 5 and the June 24, 2024 City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor hearing:
Watch the City Council’s official livestream of the full hearing.
Resolution sponsor Joseph Borelli and other City Council members spoke about Resolution 5 and questioned representatives from City agencies, then heard testimony from workers who were put on leave without pay and lost jobs under the City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
New York City Council Member Joann Ariola spoke with me after the hearing:
Michael Kane talks with Moe Oliver and Alfonso Ventura on Good Morning CHD.
All three were NYC Department of Education employees and lost their jobs under the mandate. They gave testimony at the City Council committee hearing.
Senate Bill S7466A
This is the New York State legislation that Resolution 5 supports. It requires the reinstatement of officers and employees of the City of New York who were dismissed from employment due to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement, including retirees, vested members, and terminated members.
Unvaccinated Former City Workers Seek Council's Support for Reinstatement
Crystal Lewis covered the hearing in this article for The Chief.
Cafecito Break Hearing Coverage
The Perez sisters also covered the hearing in several videos on their Rumble channel.
Live Coverage of Testimony at the June 24 Hearing from @nycforyourself:
More from some of the workers who testified at the June 24 hearing:
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at NYMpodcast@protonmail.com.
New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 51: Post-Hearing Conversation on City Council Reinstatement Resolution 5 with Matt, Diane, Tim, and Jack