* Tribune…
After pushback from the largest state employee union, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday extended his deadline for workers in Illinois prisons and other congregate settings to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by more than a month, to Nov. 18.
When Pritzker announced the vaccination mandate for workers in prisons and other residential state facilities last month, he set an Oct. 4 deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated and called on their unions to come to the bargaining table to work out the specifics. […]
Under the governor’s latest order, those who receive either a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine would have to get an initial dose by Oct. 14 and the second shot by Nov. 18. Those getting the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would have to get it by Oct. 14.
The governor’s office said Friday that progress is being made in bargaining over the mandate, but offered no further specifics on why the original deadline could not be met. “Negotiations are ongoing and productive,” Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh wrote in an email.
- Elliott Ness - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 7:33 am:
Schools face the same issues regarding bargaining, setting up weekly testing and administration of the EO. The extension should be made for K-12 and show some type of effort to work with schools instead of establishing unworkable deadlines.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 8:38 am:
And hopefully soon the “negotiations” will result in a vaccine requirement for all state employees in all agencies, whether or not they work in congregate care or with the public in general. With some teeth in it–be vaxxed or be fired.
- The Doc - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 8:59 am:
==“Negotiations are ongoing and productive,” Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh wrote in an email.==
Pushing out the mandate an additional 6 weeks suggests otherwise. The urgency here is clear, and continuing to accommodate the voluntarily unvaccinated minority is perverse.
- Cheryl44 - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 9:15 am:
I’m generally pro-union, but this is insane. If you work with people who are in congregate care, you’re working with people who most likely are medically fragile. Get your shots or get fired.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 9:16 am:
Another reminder that you can’t be a serious labor organization if your idea here is not the health, safety, and well-being of the members and a safe workplace.
I can’t think of these same labor folks later claiming “unsafe workplace” thoughts… that is comically sad and dangerous, and going forward wholly disingenuous
- Bothanspied - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:10 am:
He should have stood fast. Giving an inch opens up these “negotiations” for further extensions and more importantly exceptions. Delaying vaccines in a congregate setting makes his resolve and rationale for urgency both look weak.
- anon - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:11 am:
Mandate schools and healthcare providers to vax and test by Sept 5th–then punt your own workforce to late November. Even when organized labor is wrong the Dems just don’t have the political will to take them on. This failure to do as you say just reinforces the GOP’s argument of Dems playing pandemic politics.
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:14 am:
Who is really in charge here?
The Governor or AFSCME?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:16 am:
=== Who is really in charge here?
The Governor or AFSCME?===
- Lucky Pierre -, you’re pro-mandate?
Huh. That’s new.
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:39 am:
Not new at all
Been fully vaccinated since April- as soon as I could get it
Private sector workers are not able to tell their employers they won’t get vaccinated.
Why on earth is JB tolerating this? Polls are clear, mandated vaccines as a condition of employment are overwhelmingly popular.
What has changed is the government saying they couldn’t mandate it and then magically changing their mind
- Norseman - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 10:40 am:
Shame, shame JB. Your claim to leadership is waning. Are you going to keep pushing back the deadline for the union until Nov. 9, 2022?
- JB13 - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 11:00 am:
Public sector unions taking actions that demonstrate utter lack of concern for potentially catastrophic issues affecting the people of Illinois, and seeking to somehow exempt their members from the mandates imposed on everyone else?
Shocking. Who would believe such a thing?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 11:01 am:
===Why on earth is JB tolerating this?===
One reason is that AFSCME won a bunch of state court cases under Rauner.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 11:12 am:
===Not new at all===
Actually, it is new.
You had the chance in August. The question was…
“How long should the governor wait before mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all state employees?”
=== - Lucky Pierre - Monday, Aug 23, 21 @ 11:58 am
He will never do so, he is too busy leading from behind- Toni Preckwinkle
The tail wags the dog===
This is actually the first time you’ve chosen to give any answer, per usual, you politicize something in a negative light, no matter how silly. It’s new.
To the post,
The caution the governor is showing as being afraid to lose in court is predicated that labor unions ignore a pillar core fundamental to their creation.
In essence, labor going to court and winning against mandates, if it’s seen as, say, “tail wagging the dog” or kowtowing to labor, it misses the point that labor organizations are themselves allowing a loud minority in their ranks to strike down a pillar of why labor organizations exist in the first place.
It’s warped… but true.
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 11:47 am:
I did give an answer and it still stands.
JB is not leading and he never confronts the base of his party
He is the one politicizing it, do you see him pulling his punches on Republicans in the eastern bloc or Amy Jacobsen for vax hesitancy?
Me neither
- Grateful Gail - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:16 pm:
Disgusted with all of this. So those living in the state developmental centers will continue to be infected by those state employees who swear they “love our individuals”, but don’t care enough to get the vaccine. I really had more respect for the Governor, and thought he’d have the courage to do the right thing. Very disappointed.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:19 pm:
=== I did give an answer and it still stands.
JB is not leading and he never confronts the base of his party===
That’s a political answer, not a vaccination answer.
It was only today you decided to be about mandates, and what’s warped about your seemingly smart position is your lack of acknowledgement of the vocal minority of anti-vaxx are holding labor hostage… why aren’t you holding labor organization(s) accountable?
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:28 pm:
Hey I have an idea why don’t you direct your anger at the powerful Democrats running Illinois for a change instead of me?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:36 pm:
=== why don’t you direct your anger at the powerful Democrats===
Because in this instance it’s a vocal minority of labor members forcing labor organizations to go against a pillar to the foundation of why organized labor exists…
… and you want the political angst, not the remedy to getting everyone vaccinated. If you felt that way you’d point your anger towards Republican leaders who are anti-vaxx
Why you haven’t now is a head scratcher as the anti-vaxx Republicans could be the same union members refusing to get vaccinated.
- Honeybear - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:45 pm:
Since this pushes it past the October 14-16th Council 31 biannual convention I’d say it saves current leaderships bacon. Hopefully it will. Otherwise the deadline would have exactly coincided with the convention. It will be interesting to see if Council 31 position changes magically on Oct 17. I’m hoping it will.
Because honestly
OW is totally right
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:55 pm:
There you have it
No matter what the issue is it is Republican’s fault
You are certainly on point as always
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 12:59 pm:
- Honeybear -
I appreciate your recognition of my take, and… I appreciate the position union leadership is facing during this time… and the position the governor is facing and appreciating that concern.
All the while, I’ll stand by my own words.
Be well, good luck.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 1:03 pm:
===No matter what the issue is it is Republican’s fault===
Again, your refusal to see the polling, whom is anti-vaxx, the party affiliations… and your seemingly weak position that you’re for vaccinations yet won’t call out the Republican anti-vaxxers… it’s embarrassing how you so desperately want this as a Democratic fault as polling continues to be Republicans and places like FoxNews that are anti-vaxx
Are you blind as to where the anti-vaxxers are encamped?
- Pundent - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 2:26 pm:
=JB is not leading and he never confronts the base of his party=
Anti-vaxers are the base of this party? Who would have known.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 2:31 pm:
===Anti-vaxers are the base of this party? Who would have known.===
Which party has party “leaders” that are anti-vaxx?
And - Lucky Pierre - wants this political?
- anon - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 3:55 pm:
Gov’s legal team hasn’t lost a COVID related case yet–Rauner example not relevant with EOs and pandemic emergency declaration.
- west chicago - Monday, Sep 20, 21 @ 6:01 pm:
Those getting infected by COVID due to exposure from unvaccinated employees don’t get an extension - sadly they just get COVID. The virus doesn’t get the memo to delay. It makes me hopping mad. I know of several friends’ relatives that have died in nursing homes due to COVID. Testing is not a substitute as we can all see from how well that worked in the Trump White House. There is a lag between getting COVID and testing positive for COVID and you can transmit during that time. Nearly 6 billion doses of the vaccine have been distributed worldwide. Those of us vaccinated have not seen our arms fall off. We haven’t gotten the shakes. We are not magnetic. Just like after the shingles vaccine, the HPV vaccine, the flu vaccine, and all the other vaccines we have taken over the course of our life, we are fine and protected. I am going to try now to think Zen thoughts and not think of the lives lost unnecessarily.