New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Suspensions set Friday for unvaccinated state workers
Unpaid suspensions will begin on Friday for as many as 671 unionized state workers who have not complied with Gov. Ned Lamont’s vaccination-or-test order, as new data showed the Department of Correction lagging, with 57 percent vaccinated.
The suspensions could turn into job terminations in 45 days under an order by Gov. Ned Lamont, who said Thursday he
could wait no longer before taking action several days after the deadline he imposed.
Under the order, state employees had to either show they were vaccinated for COVID-19 or consent to weekly testing for the illness. Those directly working in long-term housing or hospitals did not have the option of testing instead of vaccinations.
The 671 people, or 2.2 percent of 30,220 affected employees, were those who had not registered their vaccination proof or weekly testing consent in an online system.
“At some point you have to hold people accountable, if they’re not responding,” Lamont told reporters during an early afternoon online news conference.
Later Thursday, Lamont issued a larger picture of the employee population, with an agency-by-agency breakdown showing that 78.5 percent of workers — 23,711 — said they are fully vaccinated; 19.3 percent — 5,838 people — will accept weekly testing; and the remaining employees had not responded or had declined the options.
The Department of Correction, by far the state’s largest department with 5,290 employees including prison guards, had the lowest vaccination rate, at 57 percent. But 40.5 percent of that department agreed to weekly testing, leaving 122, or 2.3 percent, out of compliance and in danger of suspension.
Four state agencies had at least 93 percent of employees vaccinated, the largest of those being the Department of Public Health, at 93 percent, with 44 people agreeing to testing and only one noncompliant. The highest was the Workers Compensation Commission at 95 percent of 105 employees fully vaccinated.
Other agencies with more than 90-percent vaccination compliance include a group of small agencies with a total of 614 employees; the Department of Economic and Community Development; the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; the office of the Attorney General; the Division of Criminal Justice; and the Office of Policy and Management.
The agencies with vaccination rates less than 80 percent include the state Department of Transportation, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which includes the State Police; and the Department of Motor Vehicles. All three were over 75 percent, leaving th Department of Correction with by far the lowest vaccination rate.
The statewide vaccination rate for eligible residents was 76 percent as of Wednesday, the state’s public database showed. That was also the vaccination rate for adults ages 25 to 64.
It was still unclear late Thursday how many of the 671 noncompliant employees would be suspended Friday. Under Lamont’s orders, regular state employees had until this past Monday night at 11:59 p.m. to either document that they have been vaccinated or agree to begin weekly testing.
The ones who remain noncompliant have not necessarily actively refused vaccinations or testing, as they may have had trouble accessing the system or
other technical issues, or theey may simply have not responded.
“I think a lot of those are inadvertent,” Lamont said. “In a lot of those they’ve got the wrong ID numbers and such in there. We’re going after them. Personnel is talking to them, making sure they’ve got that corrected. And then those few outliers who just don’t want to participate either vaxxing or testing, they’re going to have to take some unpaid leave.”
The state Department of Public Health on Thursday said 38 COVID-related deaths occurred over the last week, bringing the total number of fatalities in the pandemic to 8,667. Last week, 53 deaths were announced and the week before that, 36.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID, 230 as of Thursday, was four fewer than the week before, after a decline of 48 in the prior week.
The positive test rate continues to fall. It was at 1.7 percent Thursday, with 548 new cases. The 7-day positivity rate was 1.93 percent, with 3,154 new cases.
Lamont said during the week that he wanted to avoid suspensions for people who had intentions to comply with the order, but the order gives him only until Monday to suspend people — and that is a state holiday.
The umbrella group for more than 30 state employee unions argues that the state already has a critical shortage of workers in some areas, especially in mental health and other services at state-owned hospitals, which is endangering clients and employees.
The union coalition, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, or SEBAC, on Thursday declined comment on the imminent suspensions. Last week the coalition asked for a 20-day extension on Governor Ned Lamont’s vaccination deadline for those employees not permitted to opt out through testing.
Lamont on Thursday said that an eventual agreement with SEBAC will likely include the costs of weekly testing beyond the current four-week limit.