Adams tells NYC workers fired for refusing COVID-19 shot they can come back to work

A day after Zohran Mamdani won the election to succeed him, Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday told NYC’s municipal workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 that they can come back to work, if they so choose.

The offer applies to terminated employees in all mayoral agencies, including the FDNY and NYPD, as well as NYC Public Schools and the NYC Housing Authority. It is the second time since 2023 that the mayor has reopened the doors for former city workers who did not take the vaccine to return to work.

Adams said the original policy, put in place in 2021 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, required city workers to be vaccinated, which helped the city deal with waves of the deadly virus. But NYC has long since rebounded, and as Mayor Adams sees it, the vaccine mandate is no longer necessary.

New York City Fire Department (FDNY) union members, municipal workers and others demonstrate during a protest against the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York City, New York, U.S., October 28, 2021.REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

“We recognize that we are in a different place today than we were nearly four years ago, and our policies should match the realities of the times,” Adams said. “That’s why we are updating our policies to reflect our new health and economic reality, as we look forward to welcoming back many of our former employees to their former positions. Ensuring New York City has the strongest workforce possible will continue to make our city safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family.

The former city workers will be able to return to their former civil service titles and receive the same pay they earned before their termination.

Adams first lifted the mandate in February 2023. However, back then, city employees who were fired for not getting the shot had to reapply for their jobs; they were not automatically reinstated. About 450 terminated employees returned to work.

It is unclear whether reapplication will be necessary for the affected former municipal workers.

However, the new policy permits “eligible employees” who were terminated for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 the option to return to city service, pursuant to a proposed rule change by DCAS, subject to a public hearing and approval by the New York state Civil Service Commission, the mayor’s office said.