Massachusetts governor says a ‘few hundred’ state employees face discipline over vaccine mandate

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said Monday there were a “few hundred” state employees who faced consequences over violating the coronavirus vaccine mandate.

“The number of suspensions that are out there is only a few hundred, and they’re pretty much scattered across the executive branch,” Baker said, according to The Associated Press.

“The most important thing, from our point of view, is that somewhere around 12,000 people who weren’t vaccinated when this process began are vaccinated now. And 39,000 plus are either fully vaccinated or received a qualified exemption,” he added.

Baker announced in August that all 44,000 state employees would have to get the coronavirus vaccine by Oct. 17 or they could lose their jobs. 

The administration has received 2,000 requests for exemptions, which they are still processing, according to the AP. Police unions did attempt to fight against the mandate but lost in court.

Cities across the country are facing pushback from police unions over coronavirus vaccine mandates, with the president of the police union in Chicago telling officers not to obey the city’s mandate.

Almost 90 officers were forced to go on leave for not abiding by New York City’s vaccine mandate.

Vaccine mandates have become more popular among state governments and businesses after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer vaccine.

However, court cases continue to pop up around the country regarding the legality of the mandates, with many courts siding with the mandates.