New York City has become almost as disgusting as Los Angeles following the implementation of vaccine mandates and many service workers refusing to pick up the thousands of bags of trash riddling the already-grimy streets.
Following the mandate, thousands of service workers in the NYC Department of Sanitation (DOS) have abandoned their posts in protests as they await union talks with the City to allow for medical and religious exemptions.
This situation is particularly difficult, as the DOS reportedly needs to pick up 12,000 tons of trash every single day to keep the City clean. Thus, even a couple of days of protests can leave the City looking and smelling like a third-world country.
“Yes, we did experience a delay in a service — a gap — we were making up for throughout [last] week,” said department Commissioner Edward Grayson.
“Ours is a very visible service to all New Yorkers as we all know — so, with 12,000 tons coming out every single day in the residential areas, once you get a little behind, it’s going to take a little while to right the ship. We had full staffing in place throughout the weekend; we did work the extra service day on Sunday to do the best we can to catch up.”
Trash & recycling collection is ongoing; we are working to pick up the 12,000 tons of material residents dispose every day.Most of all, we thank you for your patience. If you need to report missed collection call 311 or go to https://t.co/wlLDqZ9XTw (after 8am the next morning). pic.twitter.com/PamrQaQNKI
— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) November 3, 2021
“Sanitation services are continuing across the city,” department press secretary Vincent Gragnani told CNN in an email. “Our Sanitation Workers were moved to 12-hour shifts last Thursday, and they will continue with those shifts to keep our city streets clean and safe. They will also be working Sundays, as needed, including yesterday.”
According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, nearly 10,000 employees called in sick on November 1 — the first day the mandate came into effect — which he calls dangerous.
“When a city employee fakes it and puts other people’s lives in danger, that’s a serious thing, and there are going to be consequences for that,” DeBlasio said in a news conference.
What consequences could follow having already placed nearly 10,000 on unpaid leave are still uncertain. How can you further punish an employee who you already aren’t paying? But it appears that the workers are winning the standoff.
On Thursday, New York City was forced to come to an agreement with several unions representing at least 75,000 workers over the vaccine mandate in hopes of easing tensions and allowing for more exemptions.
As part of the agreement, workers will be able to appeal exemption denials, and the City will have to extend health benefits to workers declining the vaccine until June 2022 and will be allowed to continue working until final rulings are made.
In other words, don’t want the vaccine: no problem, just please clean our streets!
