Reps for Charlotte police, firefighters ‘united’ against any possible vaccine mandate
Three organizations representing Charlotte police and firefighters “stand united” against the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees, according to a letter sent to city leaders last week.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, Charlotte FireFighters Association and the Charlotte chapter of the UE150 public service workers union wrote the letter to Mayor Vi Lyles, City Manager Marcus Jones and members of City Council, a FOP spokeswoman told the Observer.
“Combined, our organizations represent, and speak for, thousands of workers in this city who rely on our advocacy,” the letter said. “We understand how COVID has impacted Charlotte but believe all medical decisions shall be an individual choice.”
The groups said they are encouraging their members to get vaccinated, but the letter said each employee’s health and beliefs are unique and the “vaccine should be a discussion between them and their medical provider, not elected officials.”
“Governmental agencies that impose mandates that go against individual beliefs and rights are dangerous and should not be permitted,” the letter said. “Your employees have courageously fought through this pandemic and should not be faced with an uncertain future because of a vaccination mandate. “
The letter was sent two days after the city released responses to a workforce survey asking nearly 8,000 government employees about their vaccine status.
The Charlotte Fire Department, which has 1,224 employees, had the lowest vaccination rate out of all city agencies at 49%. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, which has 2,407 employees, had a 63% vaccination rate, according to the survey.
Police Chief Johnny Jennings and fire Chief Reginald Johnson are vaccinated, department spokesmen told the Observer. Jennings tested positive for COVID-19 late last year and recovered, the Observer previously reported.
More than 1,400 CMPD employees have been vaccinated and that number continues to grow, department spokesman Robert Tufano said.
CMPD continues to communicate to employees the health benefits associated with getting the vaccine, and is “aggressively” promoting the city’s vaccination incentive initiative, Tufano said.
“Employees are expected to follow the recently issued mask mandates. They are provided the necessary PPE and the CMPD will continue to follow all health guidelines,” he said.
The CFD reflects the community where the debate for and against vaccination continues, department spokesman Jackie Gilmore said.
Like CMPD, the fire department is encouraging vaccines verbally and in written communications and “will aggressively promote the city’s vaccination reward program,” Gilmore said.
“We are optimistic that more of our staff will get vaccinated,” he said.
City employees who are fully vaccinated by Sept. 30 will get $250, the Observer previously reported. Those who are only partially vaccinated must get their second shot by Nov. 19 to get their reward, and proof of vaccination is required.
If city employees collectively reach a 75% vaccination rate by Sept. 30, those who are vaccinated will get an additional $250. To meet that goal, about 1,100 more employees must get inoculated, city spokesman Cory Burkarth said.
The city hasn’t disclosed if there will be any repercussions for employees aren’t fully vaccinated before Sept. 30 or Nov. 19.
Throwing the ‘kitchen sink’
As of Monday, 132 members of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 in 2021, according to to the Officer Down Memorial Page, The Associated Press reported.
In the first half of 2021, 71 law enforcement officials in the U.S. died from COVID, the AP reported, citing the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. That’s a small decrease compared to the 76 who died in the same time period in 2020.
In 2020, 241 police officers died in the U.S. from COVID, making the virus the the leading cause of law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.
Although no national statistics show the vaccination rate for all first responders in America, the AP found that individual police and fire departments across the country are reporting figures far below the national rate of 74% of adults who have had at least one dose — including CMPD and CFD.
Of Mecklenburg EMS Agency’s 566 employees, seven were in isolation, about 81.5% had at least one COVID-19 vaccination and more than 78% were fully vaccinated as of Aug. 25, the Observer previously reported.
As of Tuesday, 83.7% of Medic’s employees have gotten at least one dose.
To encourage vaccinations, Medic promoted the safety of vaccines, proactively signed up staff for vaccination appointments, hosted an on-site clinic for several months, provided two hours of pay to each employee who received the vaccine and made being vaccinated a requirement.
“Agency leadership knows how critical the vaccine is for the health of our patients and employees. So we didn’t do just one thing, we did many things, consistently,” Medic deputy director Jon Studnek said.
“We threw the kitchen sink at it.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 1:49 PM.
