Massachusetts State Police Union Asks Judge To Delay Vaccine Mandate For Troopers

BOSTON (CBS) – The Massachusetts State Police national asked a justice Wednesday to enactment a clasp connected Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troopers.

A justice heard from attorneys for some the Commonwealth and the State Police Association of Massachusetts successful Suffolk Superior Court.

The union, which represents 1,800 members, argues that the authorities needed to bargain with workers earlier implementing the mandate, which states that 44,000 enforcement section employees indispensable amusement impervious of vaccination by October 17 oregon hazard losing their jobs.

They besides argued that by putting that deadline successful place, it fundamentally precludes members from getting the 2 dose Moderna shot, and volition soon regularisation retired the two-dose Pfizer vaccine arsenic well, leaving members with conscionable the Johnson and Johnson vaccine arsenic their lone option.

The troopers’ national asked the justice for an injunction to intermission the mandate.

The Commonwealth says it did negociate with the national and that imaginable penalties for failing to conscionable the mandate tin beryllium ironed retired aft the deadline.

“There has to beryllium situations wherever determination is an quality of the government, successful an exigency specified arsenic the COVID-19 pandemic, to person a deadline of implementation of policy,” said Jennifer Greaney, an lawyer for the Commonwealth.

In general, Boston University wellness instrumentality prof Michael Ulrich says the authorities has the authorization to instrumentality a vaccine a mandate.

“As we’ve seen, states person wide authorization to mandate vaccines successful general, but besides with authorities employees. And then, truly with police, you person an adjacent stronger statement because, one, they person to beryllium retired successful public,” Ulrich said.

The justice did not contented her determination astatine Wednesday’s hearing, but said she volition marque it promptly.

According to the lawyer representing the union, astir 20-percent of State Police employees stay unvaccinated.

The national filed a suit September 17 to get Baker to hold the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The national wants members who’ve antecedently had COVID-19 oregon who take not to get the vaccine for either medical, religious, oregon idiosyncratic reasons to beryllium capable to instrumentality a play trial and deterioration a disguise connected the job.

They’re besides requesting that if a subordinate contracts COVID-19, becomes sick from the vaccine, is forced to discontinue due to the fact that of coronavirus, oregon if they were to die, that it beryllium considered a “line-of-duty” injury.

If they’re not fixed clip to negotiate, the suit argues, it could effect successful “irreparable” harm to troopers.