Tucson votes require vaccinations for city employees starting Aug. 24

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – Tucson City Council held a special session on Friday, August 13th.

The only item on the agenda was the discussion and vote on a regulation that stipulates vaccination of staff as a “condition for continued employment”.

The ordinance was passed 6: 1 and achieved a super majority. Mayor Regina Romero and councilors Lane Santa Cruz, Paul Cunningham, Karin Uhlich, Richard Fimbres and Steve Kozachik voted in favor, while Nikki Lee was the only no.

According to the city, around 1,000 of its 4,500 employees are unvaccinated.

Tucson City Director Michael Ortega recommended that Council and Mayor Regina Romero approve the ordinance, which they did.

Several large government agencies – US federal agencies, New York, and California – have announced that at least some employees will need to be vaccinated. Big private companies – like Google, Facebook, and the NFL – have done the same.

Banner Health and TMC HealthCare, two of the largest healthcare employers in Arizona, recently announced that they would also need the vaccine.

Tucson employees have until Tuesday, August 24th, to receive at least one dose of the approved vaccines. If an employee does not do this or does not receive a waiver from a doctor, he can be suspended for five days without payment.

Employees who refuse to be vaccinated could also face “mandatory tests, travel restrictions or authorization for certain tasks, increased mask requirements and more”.

. @ Cityoftucson requires all city workers to be vaccinated.

I would like to thank my colleagues on the Council for approving this action to protect our workforce, our community and our children.

– Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) August 14, 2021

However, there is a caveat in the regulation.

If at least 750 of the 1,000 unvaccinated employees received their vaccination by Friday, August 20, the policy would not go into effect.

Ortega will report to the council on how many of the staff have been vaccinated during the next meeting, scheduled for September 9th. If there is not enough shooting, the council may consider dismissal as a penalty.

The ordinance also allows the city to offer incentives such as extra time off / time off for those who get vaccinated.

According to Ortega, the city has the right to request the vaccine.

“The City of Tucson, as an employer, can lawfully compel its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and / or to have regular tests for COVID-19 infection, subject to statutory exceptions and / or medical precautions Prerequisites Conditions / disabilities and sincere religious beliefs, ”he wrote in a letter to the council and the mayor. “The proposed guidelines and requirements take these legal requirements into account. The public prosecutor’s office has reviewed and approved all components of the guidelines. “

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