CHICAGO (CBS) — Mayor Lori Lightfoot won a major victory in her push to require all city employees to get COVID-19 vaccines, after an arbitrator ruled most city workers must get vaccinated.
The ruling, issued Thursday, applies to city employees represented by several labor unions, including Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, AFSCME, SEIU Local 73, IBEW Local 21, Teamsters Local 700, and all Coalition of Unionized Public Employees (COUPE) trade unions.
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The arbitrator’s ruling means employees in those unions must get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year. Employees who get either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine must get their second dose by Jan. 31, 2022.
Employees who do not comply with the vaccine mandate can be put on no-pay status. All city employees may apply for a religious or medical exemption from the vaccine requirement.
“The City is pleased that a neutral arbitrator selected by both parties upheld the City’s right to issue a vaccine mandate to its employees,” Law Department spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban said in an email. “The arbitrator further upheld the City’s right to place employees who do not become vaccinated by the deadline in a no-pay status.”
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The ruling does not apply to the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing rank-and-file police officers, and is awaiting separate arbitration on the vaccine mandate later this month.
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