Council will discuss employee mandate
The Phoenix City Council will allow the public to weigh in soon on its recently imposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees after pushback from public safety unions and a few council members, but it’s unclear whether the council could overturn the mandate.
The council will discuss the mandate, and potentially vote on the issue, in a policy meeting on Dec. 7.
Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton imposed the mandate last week, saying the city falls under the presidential executive order that forces all federal government contractors to require employees to be vaccinated. The city has many federal contracts.
City spokesperson Dan Wilson said at the time the mandate was a city manager decision, not a council decision, because the city manager oversees the city’s employees. It’s unclear, even if the council voted in opposition to the mandate, whether the council would have the power to overturn it.
Wilson said Wednesday that city staff is reviewing the federal mandate in preparation to answer council members’ questions during the meeting.
“There are still many details that need to be determined regarding how the city will respond to the requirement,” Wilson said.
Mayor Kate Gallego has said it was not the council’s decision to make. Also, the city didn’t have a choice but to impose the mandate, she said, considering it’s a federal contractor. Still, she said she believes it is a smart public health decision.
Since, the city’s public safety unions have pushed back, saying they oppose the mandate and joining Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s lawsuit against the Biden administration.
Wilson said city staff is reviewing the lawsuit.
Councilmembers Sal DiCiccio, Ann O’Brien and Jim Waring oppose the mandate and asked for a public discussion on the topic. The mayor agreed to place it on the upcoming agenda.
“It is a very important topic that I believe should be discussed in public and not behind closed doors to give our employees and the community a chance to weigh in,” O’Brien said in a news release.
O’Brien said she is not anti-vaccine, just anti-mandates. She believes city employees will make the best decisions for themselves and their families.
She said the mandate has negatively impacted employee morale, divided the organization and “could greatly affect the city services we provide.”
DiCiccio said he mployees should have the choice over whether to get vaccinated or regularly tested. He doesn’t believe the city is a federal contractor, so doesn’t believe the mandate is required.
Gallego said that the city lost 24 employees from COVID-19 — the first Arizonan to die from COVID-19 was a city employee.
“This is a chance to save lives in our country and in our city. I don’t want to lose any more city employees.”