Charlotte will now require COVID vaccines for all new city government workers
All new Charlotte city government hires will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, city officials told employees in an email Wednesday.
Roughly 70% of Charlotte government employees are now at least partially vaccinated as of Wednesday. That rate means vaccinated city employees will likely miss out on an additional $250 offered by city leaders if employees could hit a 75% vaccination threshold by Sept. 30.
There are approximately 7,740 workers for the city — 5,445 city workers are at least partially vaccinated.
Vaccinated employees will still get $250 just for getting the coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 30, but vaccinated employees could have gotten up to $500 in total if they had hit that 75% threshold. The city needed 360 more employees to get the vaccine to hit that threshold.
Employees who are partially vaccinated must get their second shot by Nov. 19 to get the initial $250 reward.
The financial incentives will be paid out to employees by the end of the year, city spokesman Cory Burkarth told the Observer.
Rules for city workers
The monetary incentives program for vaccinations has ended, Burkarth said. But there are other incentives on the table for city employees through the end of the year, the city outlined in an email to employees Wednesday.
In that email, Charlotte officials outlined requirements for the COVID-19 vaccines for the first time.
The vaccines are not required for existing employees but will be require for any new hires, the city said in the email.
And employees (new and existing) must be vaccinated to be eligible for a Wellness Incentive program, part of the city’s benefits plan. The program provides a financial reward to eligible employees and spouses through an annual medical premium savings or city contribution, according to the city.
The Wellness Incentive program provides an average of $775 a year in savings for employees, Burkarth said. Employees must upload proof of vaccination for themselves and their spouse, if enrolled in the city’s medical plan, by Dec. 1 to enroll in the program.
Mecklenburg County government has gone a step further than the city, requiring proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all employees.
As of last week, Mecklenburg County had fired 16 employees — including five full-time workers — for noncompliance with its COVID-19 protocols.
Unvaccinated employees who do not provide proof of testing each week are put on immediate unpaid suspension. And any employee who is noncompliant for two consecutive weeks will be dismissed, the county has said.
Department by department
Here’s what the vaccination rates are by Charlotte city government department:
City attorney (39 employees): 94.9% vaccinated
Aviation (638 employees): 72.4% vaccinated
CATS (468 employees): 67.7% vaccinated
Communication (36 employees): 83.3% vaccinated
Transportation (351 employees): 76.4% vaccinated
City Clerk (8 employees): 62.5% vaccinated
Charlotte Water (913 employees): 72.5% vaccinated
Community Relations (16 employees): 100% vaccinated
City Manager (9 employees): 100% vaccinated
Economic Development (18 employees): 94.4%
Finance (95 employees): 92.6% vaccinated
Fire (1,224 employees): 59.4% vaccinated
General Services (411 employees): 78.4% vaccinated
Housing (218 employees): 76.2% vaccinated
Human Resources (54 employees): 90.7% vaccinated
Innovation & Technology (211 employees): 87.7% vaccinated
Internal Audit (10 employees): 100% vaccinated
Planning (109 employees): 91.7% vaccinated
Police (2,407 employees): 66.6% vaccinated
Strategy & Budget (15 employees): 93.3% vaccinated
Stormwater Services (185 employees): 81.1% vaccinated
Solid Waste (305 employees): 68.5% vaccinated
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated employees could still reach the 75% vaccination threshold to receive an additional $250 in incentives. The program ended Sept. 30. Workers can no longer get a one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to receive a $250 incentive.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:52 PM.
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