Court documents show three lawsuits involving city employees have been dismissed after the city of St. Paul dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy. Friday, a letter from Mayor Melvin Carter to city employees stated he has decided to discontinue the vaccine requirement for city employees. He added the city is now in a position where the requirement is no longer necessary.
As previously reported, the requirement was implemented in October of 2021, and St. Paul leaders had said all city employees must be vaccinated against the virus by the end of the calendar year. That prompted lawsuits from several unions, which claimed the mandate violated their collective bargaining agreements.
In June, a Ramsey County District Court judge agreed and invalidated the order, saying it violated fair labor law. In December, a judge temporarily blocked the mandate and told the city and unions to keep negotiating. The city says 2,757 of its 3,391 employees submitted proof of vaccination and 272 requested an exemption. In his letter, Carter went on to say he encouraged everyone who didn’t get the vaccine and booster shot already to do so.