Topline
An upcoming vaccine mandate for Massachusetts State Police that won’t allow the option of submitting negative Covid test results to keep working has led to dozens of state troopers resigning, according to the union that represents them, but state police say they’re only aware of one trooper who is actually planning to leave because of the mandate so far.
Key Facts
The State Police Association of Massachusetts said troopers started quitting en masse after a state judge denied the union’s request last week to block the mandate.
Troopers have been given an October 17 deadline to provide proof of vaccination or they could be fired.
In a statement, union president Michael Cherven slammed the mandate, calling it one of the “most stringent vaccine mandates in the country” and saying it will further thin a police force that is “already critically short-staffed.”
State Police spokesman Dave Procopio told Forbes that only one trooper is planning on leaving over the mandate—and that trooper is planning to retire.
Procopio did add that the State Police are aware that “troopers are considering resigning or retiring for that reason,” but only the one departure was confirmed as of Tuesday morning.
Crucial Quote
“Simply put, all we are asking for are the same basic accommodations that countless other departments have provided to their first responders and to treat a Covid-related illness as a line-of-duty injury,” Cherven said.
Big Number
20%. That’s about how many State Police employees remain unvaccinated, the union—which represents about 1,800 members—told WBZ-TV.
Key Background
Gov. Charlie Baker (R) issued an executive order on August 19 requiring all executive office employees, including the State Police, to provide proof of full vaccination by October 17. The mandate appears to be among the strictest of its kind in the country, given that it doesn’t allow an option for negative testing, requires full vaccination and also applies to employees who are teleworking. For most state workers, the mandate will likely have little impact, since the state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. According to the Mayo Clinic, 67.8% of Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated.
Tangent
New York City public schools were set to launch a vaccine mandate on Monday that would not have given the option to submit to negative testing instead of getting a shot. But that mandate has not taken effect yet, after a Federal Appeals Court temporarily blocked its implementation pending a review of a lawsuit over it.
