LA City Firefighters Union Files Lawsuit To Block COVID Vaccine Mandate
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The union which represents Los Angeles city firefighters has filed a lawsuit against the mandate requiring that city employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 brought the complaint Monday in L.A. County Superior Court, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
Back in August, the L.A. City Council approved an emergency ordinance which requires that all city employees get the COVID-19 vaccine. Only those with approved medical or religious exemption would be able to opt out.
Municipal employees for the city of L.A. have until Dec. 18 to get fully vaccinated. Mayor Eric Garcetti -- who himself contracted the coronavirus last week while attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Scotland -- has said that those who do not "should be prepared to lose their job."
RELATED: Nearly 600 LA County Firefighters Sue, Alleging Vaccine Mandate Violates Autonomous Privacy Rights
The union alleges that the city has bargained in bad faith concerning the vaccine mandate and has filed a complaint with the L.A. City Employee Relations Board. Specifically, the union objects to a requirement that unvaccinated employees must submit to twice weekly COVID-19 testing and be tested by the city's chosen vendor, then reimburse the city at $65 per test.
The city's last, best and final proposal also provides that employees who do not pay for the testing will be fired, the suit states.
"By emailing the proposal and claiming it is the last, best and final, the city deprived the union of its right to bargain by denying it the right to review and respond to the proposal," the suit states.
The suit asks for an immediate temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the vaccine mandate until the union's unfair practices charge before the ERB is resolved.
A group of Los Angeles Police Department employees filed a similar lawsuit back in September. As of the latest numbers Tuesday, 73% of all LAPD employees are fully vaccinated and another 5% partially vaccinated. The department also sent notices to 1,357 employees who have not stated their vaccination status and 2,239 notices to those who wish to file for an exemption.
On Monday, hundreds of L.A. city and county employees took part in a march and rally against the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.