Baker order for 44,000 state workers: Get COVID-19 vaccine or face termination

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has implemented a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for approximately 44,000 employees who work for the state.

And Executive Department employees who are not vaccinated or approved for an exemption may face disciplinary action, up to and including termination, according to a statement released by Baker’s office on Thursday.

Those state employees -- which includes 42,000 Executive Department employees, and another 2,000 contracted employees -- must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination on or before Oct. 17, 2021, the statement said.

“All Executive Department employees will be required to provide proof that they have received either the required two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by October 17,” the statement said. “In the coming weeks, employees will receive information about the process by which they may provide this verification to the Commonwealth.”

All documentation related to an employee’s COVID-19 vaccinations will be maintained confidentially, the statement said. The policy applies to both employees working in-person and those who are teleworking.

Employees may be exempt from this new requirement if they have medical or religious reasons, the statement said.

“As new CDC guidance regarding booster vaccine doses is issued in the future, Executive Branch employees will also be required to provide proof they have received those doses by a deadline to be established,” the statement said. “Employees for whom vaccination is medically contraindicated or who object to vaccination on the grounds of sincerely-held religious reasons may be entitled to an exemption from the requirement to demonstrate vaccination.”

The statement also said the administration “will continue to work with its union partners regarding this policy, and specific ramifications of non-compliance for staff represented by unions will be discussed well in advance of October 17 with each employee union.”

Management employees not in compliance as of Oct. 17, 2021 will also be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, the statement said.

SEIU 509, which represents over 8,000 state workers, issued the following statement Thursday:

“Today’s Executive Order from Governor Baker mandating vaccines for all Executive Department employees is a critical step towards halting the COVID-19 virus. With new COVID infections rising, vaccines are our most powerful tool to stop the spread and protect the people most vulnerable to this virus, including children, immunocompromised people, and elders. SEIU 509 members, including over 8,000 state workers, care for these members of our community every day. Last week, SEIU Local 509 leaders voted overwhelmingly to support vaccine mandates across our employers. As health and human service workers, we’ve seen the effects of the COVID pandemic up close, and we know mandates are the best decision for public health.

While SEIU Local 509 unequivocally supports this mandate and encourages everyone to take the vaccine, the union will bargain with the Commonwealth to make sure our members’ rights are protected. We will fight to ensure our members are provided access to the vaccine itself, and protections and exemptions for individual medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs. With emergency sick leave set to expire on September 30th, we urge Governor Baker and the Legislature to do the right thing and guarantee sick leave to receive and recover from the vaccine or COVID exposure. We need this guarantee in place for every worker in our Commonwealth, not just state employees.

We are grateful to our members who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves, their families, their coworkers, and their clients. We commend the Baker-Polito administration for taking this critical step towards protecting the most vulnerable members of our Commonwealth.”

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