One union OKs deal with state on governor's vaccine mandate
OLYMPIA — Washington’s largest union of public service workers has ratified an agreement with the state that provides employees an incentive to comply with the vaccine mandate imposed by Gov. Jay Inslee — and paths to avoid getting fired if they don’t.
The deal provides workers an additional paid day off next year, options for retiring without risk of losing their job and protections against the loss of pay for employees seeking a medical or religious exemption. And workers who are partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by the Oct. 18 deadline set by Inslee will get extra time to comply with the mandate, though it might mean taking time off without pay.
“Our union was able to achieve what we set out for — a victory for public health and due process,” Mike Yestramski, a psychiatric social worker and president of the 47,000-member Washington Federation of State Employees, said in a statement Friday. The ratification vote concluded Thursday night.
Inslee issued the vaccine mandate for state employees and health care workers on Aug. 9 and expanded it to include employees of schools and colleges the following week. Several unions representing sectors of the state workforce objected and demanded to negotiate the manner in which the mandate would be carried out.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/one-union-oks-deal-with-state-on-governors-vaccine-mandate/