Mayor de Grinchio

Holidays vax ax aimed at workers

Mayor de Blasio’s private-sector vaccination mandate is a “meanspirited” rule that could lead to a wave of workers getting fired just after Christmas, the head of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce warned, vowing a court challenge.

“What I disagree with . . . is people losing their jobs over vaccines. That’s what I disagree with,” said Randy Peers, president and CEO of the nonprofit business advocacy group. “That’s a bad policy, and it’s a mean-spirited policy to do such around the holiday time.”

Peers added Tuesday night that there’s an “89 percent vaccination rate of adults in New York City.”

“Harassing the remaining 11 percent is not going to solve COVID. Taking precautions. Protecting yourself by wearing masks and using sanitizer will help,” he said. “But people losing their livelihoods and their jobs over this is just wrong. And it will be challenged.”

Peers said the chamber would not be filing a lawsuit. He made the remarks to reporters during the chamber’s Winter Gala at the El Caribe catering hall in Brooklyn’s Mill Basin neighborhood.

Updated data posted on the city’s official Web site Wednesday morning showed that 90 percent of adult city residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 82 percent were fully vaccinated.

At a news conference Wednesday, de Blasio was asked by The Post about Peers’ comments and said, “I have not spoken to Randy to hear the fullness of his view so I’ll keep my response broad. I do not expect people to be losing their jobs, because we have a body of evidence that shows that people make the decision — when it’s really the moment of truth to make the decision — to get vaccinated,” the mayor said.

No warning

Under the mandate de Blasio sprang without warning on about 184,000 businesses last week, virtually all workers must have gotten their first shots by Dec. 27 and will have no more than 45 days to get their second.

The Staten Island law firm of Fonte and Gelormino is publicly organizing a planned class-action suit against the vaccine mandate.

The firm’s partners, Mark Fonte and Louis Gelormino, didn’t immediately respond to e-mails.

Tuesday’s event featured a speech by Gov. Hochul, who on Friday imposed a statewide mask mandate on workers, customers and visitors at any business that doesn’t require proof of vaccinaoffices. tion for entry — including

Attendees at the chamber’s gala were required to show their official vaccination cards at the door, and Hochul walked in wearing a mask but took it off to address the crowd.

Those without masks in th e crowd included US Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who represents Manhattan and Brooklyn, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-ProsSen. pect Lefferts Gardens), state Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge) and City Councilman Kalman Yeger (D-Borough Park).

Peers said he supported Hochul’s mask mandate, saying, “I think this is a responsible crowd and this is a responsible venue.

“By the way, they have been doing these types of events — El Caribe — for the last couple of months. They know what they are doing,” headded.

That’s a bad policy, and it’s a mean-spirited policy.

— Randy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce president, on de Blasio’s move