NYC correction officers association sues city over vaccine mandate

New York City’s Correction Officers Benevolent Association, the Union that represents the correction officers in the city sued it on Wednesday to stop mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate that has left staffing shortages and workers overwhelmed.

Unlike most city workers, the correction officers received an extension to their mandate deadline. Mayor Bill de Blasio extended the original deadline by a month to Dec. 01 because of worker shortages.

The suit alleges that in spite of the extension, the Rikers Island Jail Complex could not stop the widening staffing crisis, and the workers were overwhelmed by the long shifts.

According to the lawsuit, officers had to work 12-hour shifts, five days a week.

Since last Thursday, over 500 workers have been placed on unpaid leave for not getting vaccinated, according to the New York Post.

The Union is hopeful for the return of de Blasio’s earlier policy of an option to get vaccinated or tested instead of the mandatory vaccinations policy.

Benny Boscio Jr., leader of the Union, said in a statement that they have lost about 1,400 workers since 2019. He added that the “inhumane” practice will only widen problem instead of resolving it.

Boscio said that the workers had to work 12-hour shifts because of the Complex being understaffed. He raised the alarm when he said the officers were getting sick and/or injured by violent inmates feeding off of their vulnerabilities.

The workers feel they are being treated like “slave labor,” and they clearly aren’t happy. They now hope to get some relief by the courts.

The NYC Law Department responded by thanking all those who got vaccinated, and said they are confident that the court will sustain the mandate and the 12-hour shifts.