Philly has started placing unvaccinated city workers on leave. Here’s how the numbers break down.
More than 20% of the city's Fire Department and 15% of the Police Department requested exemptions for religious or medical reasons.
Philadelphia city officials placed about 270 workers on leave this month for failing to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and more than 1 in 6 of the city’s public-safety employees requested to be exempt.
The employees placed on leave are a small fraction of the city’s unionized workforce of more than 22,000. The majority are from two departments: the Prisons Department and the Fire Department, both of which are already short staffed amid a broader labor shortage, according to data provided by Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration.
More than 5% of the unionized employees in the Prisons Department were placed on leave, and nearly 4% of the Fire Department’s unionized force — which includes firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs — are on leave as well, the data show.
The mandate, which was first announced in November and was long delayed while the city hashed out agreements with its municipal unions, required workers to either receive at least one dose of the vaccine or request an exemption on medical or religious grounds by June 30.
The 30-day “U-Vax leave” began on July 6. Workers may use accumulated paid time off, and then will be unpaid if that is exhausted. Employees may be fired if they remain out of compliance after the leave period.
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In a statement, the Kenney administration said it provided labor unions and workers “ample opportunity to come into compliance.”
“Our goal has always been to ensure the safety of our employees from the devastating impact of COVID-19,” the statement said, “and we know that the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have in fighting this virus.”
About 22% of the Fire Department and more than 15% of the Police Department requested exemptions from the mandate, the highest proportion among the city’s largest departments. It’s significantly higher than, for example, the 8% of workers in the Streets Department who requested exemptions or the 3% in Parks and Recreation.
In all, about 12% of the city’s unionized workforce — or more than 2,500 people — have either had an exemption approved or have a pending request. The city did not provide data on how many exemption requests were denied.