At Least 77% of Portland City Employees Are Vaccinated, Memo Says

Ten Portland city employees are not planning to get vaccinated by Oct. 18—likely resulting in losing their jobs.

That’s according to an email sent to all city employees this morning from Tom Rinehart, the city’s chief administrative officer, sharing the vaccination status of the 6,444 city employees that officials are requiring to be vaccinated or apply for a religious or medical exemption by mid-October to avoid termination.

On Aug. 30, city officials announced a vaccine mandate for all city employees. It gave employees just over six weeks from the announcement to either get vaccinated or obtain a religious or medical exemption.

This morning’s findings show that 77% of city employees are fully vaccinated; another 4.5% plan to get vaccinated or in the process of it; 250 requested exemptions; and 913 failed to submit vaccine status information or failed to do so with sufficient documentation.

Ten employees, the city shared, are not planning on getting vaccinated nor are they requesting an exemption. That makes them subject to termination.

Officers with the Portland Police Bureau are not subject to the mandate because there is no existing state or federal mandate for law enforcement, restricting cities’ ability to impose one on their own forces.

Rinehart noted in the email that the over 900 employees who have failed to submit proof or inadequate proof are mostly seasonal employees or employees who are needed sporadically: “We will make efforts to speak with all employees before placing them on the preliminary list for separation,” Rinehart wrote.

Requests for exemption are being evaluated by city attorneys and the city’s human resources department.