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The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department will experience a wave of resignations if the city follows its policy of requiring vaccinations for its employees, according to the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the union representing sheriff’s deputies.
The mandatory vaccines “will lead to early retirement of law enforcement officers and firefighters and the search for work elsewhere,” the union wrote on its Facebook page on Thursday.
“San Francisco’s public safety has turned into the Wild West and will get worse when officers step down due to the vaccination warrant.”
Union President Ken Lomba said he had heard threats of resignation or early retirement due to the compulsory vaccination policy “from a large group of our members”.
Officials from the city’s human resources department released a statement on Friday strongly denouncing the union’s position, particularly in light of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus.
“There is also an unjustified and unacceptable risk to health and safety that is imposed on the city, our employees and the public we serve, by those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19,” officials said. . “Vaccines are safe, effective and easily accessible to our employees. “
City employees may benefit from an exemption from the vaccine for medical or religious reasons.
Of 3,000 San Franciscans who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, only 16 were from “revolutionary” cases, health officials said last week. There have been no deaths among those fully vaccinated in San Francisco.
As of Friday, there were at least 161 unvaccinated employees at the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, or about 16% of the agency’s workforce, according to city data.
That’s more than double the average unvaccinated rate of 7.7% across all of the city’s departments, according to the data.
Lomba said there was no unifying reason for MPs’ refusal to be vaccinated. Some worry about the medical risks, others oppose on religious grounds, and still others just think they don’t need it.
“We are all for the safety of COVID-19 and we support it,” Lomda said. “Our problem is how it’s the mandate – ‘vaccinate or you’ll be fired’, is really going to impact our staff, which is going to impact public safety in San Francisco.”
The union would prefer a mandate mirroring those imposed by President Joe Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and surrounding county officials: demand the vaccine or test regularly.
Many sheriff’s assistants are stationed in city prisons and may be in close proximity to other employees or inmates. City employees who work in prisons or other high-risk settings must be vaccinated by September 15, according to a July order from the city. The warrant was issued as a “condition of employment,” meaning that employees who fail to comply could risk losing their jobs.
Nancy Crowley, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, said officials were working with the human resources department to achieve full compliance before the deadline. On Friday, they released an internal video showing the Deputy Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff promoting vaccinations, and next week the department is hosting a vaccination clinic at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco.
“We’re trying to make access as easy as possible for people,” Crowley said.
Union leaders from the city’s fire and police departments have not confirmed whether their members are also considering resigning in light of the order, but both have said they want the city to hire union leaders. upstream of the process.
About 17% of police officers and 9.5% of firefighter workers were not vaccinated on Friday, city data showed.
“The reality is that a significant number of police officers in San Francisco are either already vaccinated or about to be completely vaccinated,” said Tony Montoya, president of the Police Officers Association.
“No different from employees in other industries, some of our agents have questions and concerns about their employer requiring a vaccine, which is why we continue to speak with the city. “
Megan Cassidy is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @meganrcassidy
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