NEW YORK — Dozens of people rallied Friday outside City Hall, asking Mayor Eric Adams to end the covid-19 vaccine mandate for city workers and give them their jobs back. As CBS2’s Andrea Grymes reported, they want him to follow updated Centers for Disease Control guidance.
There were plenty of emotions former New York City employees — from firefighters to educators to police officers. “This is harder than running into a burning building,” ex-firefighter Bernadette Mejia said. “We had the backs of this city and the city turned their back on us,” former Department of Education paraprofessional Joy Amanda said.
“Mr. Mayor, if you care about us, tear down this mandate now,” ex-cop Marjel Kola added. They all spoke out on the steps of City Hall, demanding Adams follow the latest CDC guidance and do away with vaccine mandates for city workers. They said they believe more than 2,000 have been terminated or put on unpaid leave. “Remember when we were told to follow the science? Remember that? Well, what happened to that?” Queens City Councilman Robert Holden said.