Chicago police have said ‘Hell, no’ to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to mandate vaccines for all city employees.
The Democrat told a press conference on Monday that shots ‘are absolutely going to be required’ hours after the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for over-16s – taking it beyond its emergency phase.
The ruling prompted the Pentagon to order all 800,000 active service members to get the shot, while private firms including Delta Airlines and Goldman Sachs also told their staff to get the vaccine.
Joe Biden has already signed an executive order requiring millions of federal staff to either get vaccinated or abide by a regular Covid testing scheme.
But cop union boss John Catanzara told Fox: ‘This vaccine has no studies for long-term side effects or consequences. None.
‘To mandate anybody to get that vaccine, without that data as a baseline, amongst other issues, is a “Hell, no” for us.
‘We are 100% against mandated vaccines for our members,’ he added.
Lightfoot’s negotiations with several unions remain ongoing and there has not yet been an indication of when a requirement for the city’s 33,000 employees will come into effect.
At a press conference on Monday, she said: ‘We’re working through those discussions which have been ongoing now for a couple weeks with our colleagues in organized labor that represent city employees.’
‘But we absolutely have to have a vaccine mandate,’ she added.
‘It’s for the safety of all involved, particularly members of the public who are interacting with city employees on a daily basis. It’s important for colleagues to also feel like they have a workplace that’s safe.
‘So a vaccine mandate from the city will come, and we’ll make specific announcements in the coming days.’
Catanzara has clashed with Lightfoot in the past, including after the January 6 riot at the Capitol when she labelled the cop ‘delusional’ for saying he sympathised with the MAGA mob.
However, he is not alone in fighting her on the mask mandates.
‘It ain’t just our guys. It’s the sergeants, lieutenants and captains. This is a united front. … It’s no longer John Catanzara’s big mouth, like they like to spin it all the time,’ Catanzara told the Chicago Sun Times on Wednesday.
‘This has literally lit a bomb underneath the membership. … And what are they gonna do when four or five thousand coppers say, “Screw you. I’m staying home. You’re not making me get this f—ing vaccination. Don’t pay me. That’s fine. We’ll see you in court.”
‘You’re not gonna pay me. You’re gonna make me stay home. But you’re gonna have thousands of coppers willing to stay home, not getting paid to not get a vaccine and then, what are you gonna do for manpower on the streets?’ he said.
The uproar comes as the highly-infectious Delta variant continues to sweep across the United States, with more than 170,000 new cases and 1,470 new deaths recorded across the country on August 25.
The Pfizer vaccine was granted final approval by the FDA on Monday after receiving Emergency Use Authorization in December.
Moderna has also applied for full approval of its vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson has said it hopes to do so later this year.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday Americans can expect many more vaccine mandates now that a jab is fully authorized.
‘You’re gonna see a lot more [vaccine] mandates because there will be institutions and organizations which previously were reluctant to require vaccinations, which will now feel much more empowered to do that,’ Fauci said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
‘That could be organizations, businesses, colleges, universities. We’re even seeing it with the military already.’
President Biden, in a speech on Monday, urged companies to now start requiring vaccines.
‘As I mentioned before, I’ve imposed vaccination requirements that will reach millions of Americans,’ he said.
Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees and contractors to either get vaccinated or adhere to a regular Covid testing scheme.
‘Today I’m calling on more companies … in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people.
‘If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, state or local leader, who has been waiting for FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it.’
*story by The DailyMail.com
