NEW YORK — The deadline for uniformed correction workers in the city to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or go on unpaid leave passed Tuesday.
City Hall sources told NY1 in the early evening that at that point no one had been notified they were fired or will be fired Wednesday.
Ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order authorizing 12-hour shifts as a way to address possible staffing shortages.
The extended shifts will be divided into two tours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Some employees may work split shifts to cover other staffing needs.
About 77% of uniformed correction workers received one dose of the vaccine as of Monday evening, up from 46% when the mandate was first announced.
The head of the correction officers union, Benny Boscio, blasted the mayor's order Tuesday, saying the mandate will exacerbate staffing problems at Rikers Island, and vowed to take legal action against the city.
“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,” a statement from Boscio reads, in part. “For these reasons, we are preparing vigorous legal action, which we will discuss in more detail in the coming days.”
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