NYC workers rally at Gracie Mansion against COVID-19 vaccine mandate
Hundreds of Big Apple workers and anti-vaxxers rallied outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan Thursday — protesting the city mandate that’s set to leave thousands of unvaccinated employees without a paycheck in the coming days.
The demonstration, organized by FDNY unions, attracted many from other city agencies who are refusing to get the jab as mandated by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s executive order.
Dozens could be heard chanting “My body! My choice!” according to video from the mayor’s official residence.
The FDNY’s current vaccination rate is at 71 percent overall as of 4 p.m. Thursday, a fire department spokesman said. Sixty-five percent of firefighters and 80 percent of EMS have gotten the jab.
“I’m on the chopping block come Monday,” said Jonathan Vasquez, a city Department of Sanitation worker who held a sign that read, “I WILL NOT COMPLY Essential Workers.”
“I’m not vaccinated, I’m not getting vaccinated and it’s for multiple reasons, most importantly freedom of choice, my body, my health,” he said.
All city employees are required to show proof of vaccination or be placed on unpaid leave on Monday.
On Wednesday, an FDNY spokesperson warned that as many as 20 percent of fire companies could close and the same percentage of ambulances could be taken off the road come Monday.
