A dozen members of the Massachusetts State Police have been fired for refusing to adjust to the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, officers mentioned.
The members—one sergeant and 11 Massachusetts State troopers—had been terminated on Friday following a listening to course of over their vaccination standing, State Police spokesperson David Procopio informed MassLive in a press release.
State Gov. Charlie Baker's vaccination mandate requiring state staff get the shot went into impact in October 2021.
The 12 members of the Massachusetts State Police can be unable to enchantment their terminations, as they'd already been denied non secular or medical exemptions, The Boston Globe reported.
Massachusetts on Friday recorded 1,637 new confirmed instances of COVID-19, bringing the whole to 1,574,533, based on information from the state division of public well being. COVID-19 instances within the state peaked on January 3 with greater than 36,000 confirmed instances. Every day instances have been steadily declining since then, with a slight uptick in current weeks.
Patrick McNamara, president of the State Police Affiliation of Massachusetts, the union that represents troopers, mentioned the terminations had been a "hypocritical" transfer by the state governor.
"Governor Baker has confirmed but once more simply how hypocritical he's," McNamara mentioned in a press release. "As a part of a Friday evening information dump, he has simply terminated no less than 12 Troopers on account of his vaccine mandate. No appeals. No due course of."
"Only a Governor hell bent on breaking the backs of the State Police who work tirelessly every day to maintain the Commonwealth protected," the assertion mentioned.
McNamara criticized the governor's choice to terminate the sergeant and troops within the union's assertion.
"His clear and petty animosity has been on full show for months now," he mentioned.
"Whereas [Gov. Baker] closes COVID testing websites, requested that the State Home be reopen with no mandate and has usually proven that we're within the endemic part of COVID-19, he's nonetheless insisting on firing 12 Troopers from an already quick staffed division," the spokesman added. "The Troopers deserve higher. The Commonwealth deserves higher. And, Charlie Baker must be ashamed."
A state police spokesperson informed the MassLive that the 12 terminated aren't a part of a lawsuit looking for an injunction on the governor's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The governor's govt order required proof of vaccination from govt division workers by October 17, 2021.
By late September, dozens of Massachusetts State Police troopers had tendered their resignations, the union mentioned.
"It's unlucky that the Governor and his staff have chosen to mandate one of the stringent vaccine mandates within the nation with no affordable options," State Police Affiliation President Michael Cherven mentioned in a press release on the time.
The union mentioned the primary Massachusetts State Police trooper to be fired over the governor's vaccine mandate was let go simply days earlier than Christmas
Newsweek has contacted Gov. Baker's workplace for remark.
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