NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The union representing New York City correction officers is vowing to take legal action over a vaccine mandate.
Correction officers had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to get at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine or go on unpaid leave starting Wednesday.
Since the mandate was announced, the vaccination rate at the Department of Correction has gone from 47% to 77%.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday signed an executive order authorizing 12-hour shifts to address staffing shortages, citing "excessive staff absenteeism," not the vaccination mandate.
Correction Officers' Benevolent Association head Benny Boscio called the order "reckless and misguided" and insists it'll drive city jails even deeper into crisis, including at Rikers Island where 14 people have died in custody this year.
In a statement released Tuesday, Boscio also vowed to take legal action against the city's vaccine mandate.
"To move forward with placing what little staff we do have on leave tomorrow (Wednesday) would be like pouring gasoline on a fire, which will have a catastrophic impact on the safety of our officers and the thousands of inmates in our custody," Boscio said, in part, in a statement. "We firmly believe that the staffing crisis created by Mayor de Blasio's failure to hire more officers for three years makes it impossible for the DOC to put officers on leave without threatening the lives of our officers and the inmates in our custody. For these reasons, we are preparing vigorous legal action, which we will discuss in more detail in the coming days."
De Blasio has insisted vaccination rates tend to rise among workers once the reality of a lost paycheck sets in.
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