State police union: Dozens of troopers plan to quit after judge upholds vaccine mandate

The State Police Association of Massachusetts said dozens of troopers are leaving their jobs after a judge on Thursday denied a request to delay Gov. Charlie Baker’s state employee coronavirus vaccine mandate.

"We are disappointed in the judge’s ruling; however, we respect her decision. It is unfortunate that the Governor and his team have chosen to mandate one of the most stringent vaccine mandates in the country with no reasonable alternatives," SPAM President Michael Cherven said in a statement.

As a result of Judge Jackie Cowin's decision, "dozens of troopers have already submitted their resignation paperwork, some of whom plan to return to other departments offering reasonable alternatives such as mask wearing and regular testing," the union wrote.

The union is also seeking to have COVID-19 infections listed as a line-of-duty injury.

SPAM filed its lawsuit last week charging that Gov. Charlie Baker's Oct. 17 deadline for executive branch employees to receive their first dose of the vaccine would cause “irreparable harm” to state troopers who wanted additional time to “negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment.”

A state police spokesperson told the Associated Press that no resignations had been received Friday.

Cherven wrote that some of the state police specialty departments have been "critically short staffed" and the department "acknowledged this by the unprecedented moves which took troopers from specialty units that investigate homicides, terrorism, computer crimes, arsons, gangs, narcotics, and human trafficking, and returned them to uniformed patrol."

Baker announced last month that 42,000 state workers and contractors in the executive branch are required to be vaccinated or be granted a legitimate exemption by Oct. 17 or face disciplinary action including possible termination, the Associated Press reported.