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A police union claimed Tuesday that dozens of Massachusetts state police officers have submitted papers to resign, in response to the governor’s mandate on the COVID vaccine – 19 .
The department, however, said that only one police officer has resigned by the mandate of COVID vaccines – 19 for state employees, but others are “considering resigning or retiring for that reason.”
“To date, dozens of police officers have already submitted their resignation papers, some of whom plan to return to other departments that offer reasonable alternatives such as the use of masks and regular tests, ”said Michael Cherven , President of the Massachusetts State Police Association, in a statement .
“The State Police already has a shortage of critical personnel and recognized it for the unprecedented movements that led to soldiers from specialized units investigating homicides, terrorism, crimes IT, fire premed gangs, narcotics and human trafficking, and returned them to uniformed patrols. ”
Dave Procopio, a spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police, said the department is only aware of one officer who resigned citing the mandate of vaccines against the coronavirus .
“As of this morning, our human resources office notified the Department of an agent who definitively stated that he will be retiring due to the vaccine mandate,” Procopio said in a statement quoted by CBS News on Tuesday. “We understand that other Troopers are considering resigning or retiring for that reason, but as of now we only know who has definitively said they will leave.”
Governor’s mandate Charlie Baker applies to all government employees of Massachusetts , including state troopers and state officials. The order, which will take effect on 17 , requires employees to show proof of vaccination against COVID – 19 . Those who do not receive the vaccine could be “subject to disciplinary action” and fired.
In Monday’s statement, Cherven qualified the governor’s term Baker as “one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the country, with no reasonable alternatives.”
Last week, a judge denied the union stop the mandate. The union had argued that the state needed to negotiate with workers before implementing the mandate, according to CBS Boston. A union lawyer said that the 20% of the employees of the union state troopers were not vaccinated.
Meanwhile , Governor Baker has emphasized the importance of his mandate, saying that will help your state lead the nation in vaccinations. More than 74% of Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“I think it is vitally important for public officials who deal directly with the public on a regular basis, that they have no idea whether the people they deal with are vaccinated or not. And the people who deal with them must believe they are vaccinated, “Baker told reporters Monday.