N.Y.C. Union Leaders Say Mayor’s Covid Mandate Took Them by Surprise

Municipal union leaders bristled at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement that workers must get vaccinated or tested weekly, while city workers had mixed reactions.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s declaration on Monday that more than 300,000 municipal workers in New York City must get vaccinated against the coronavirus or agree to weekly testing was an unwelcome surprise to many of the city’s municipal unions. Unions representing a diverse city work force of firefighters and paramedics have come out against the mayor’s mandate. Some unions have made demands: Exemptions for workers who have antibodies after recovering from Covid-19; workplace testing paid for by the city; overtime for workers who get tested outside work.