Episodios
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“Any time a group of people stands up for their rights . . . it's always important, even when it doesn't feel like it's accomplishing anything. But then on top of that, we're actually seeing results and we're seeing positive rulings and developments. There's some light at the end of the tunnel, and there's real hope that while maybe not every plaintiff will get what they deserve, the movement as a whole will have made the changes that we needed to see in the law.” - Scott Lloyd
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Virginia-based attorney Scott Lloyd, one of the lawyers who recently filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court in Garland et al. v. New York City Fire Department et al.
The Garland lawsuit was brought by 86 FDNY firefighters and EMS workers who were adversely affected by New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers. A panel of three appellate judges upheld a lower-court decision against them in February of this year, and attorneys Lloyd and Warner Mendenhall filed the SCOTUS petition on behalf of the plaintiffs-appellants in July.
Scott Lloyd talked with me about the key arguments made in the petition, the legal standard it seeks to challenge, and the implications that a Supreme Court decision would have for Garland and other lawsuits related to vaccine mandates.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Petition for Certiorari in Garland v. FDNYThis is the petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to review the appellate court decision in Garland v. FDNY.
Ashcroft v. IqbalThis 2009 Supreme Court decision established the Iqbal standard, holding that plaintiffs’ complaints in federal lawsuits should present a “plausible” claim for relief.
Bravest for ChoiceThis organization advocates for NYC firefighters, fire inspectors, and EMS workers who were terminated or put on leave because they did not comply with the City’s vaccine mandates.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated.
Previous coverage of Garland v. FDNY:
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“For anyone who thinks that oh, you know, I had a choice whether to be vaccinated or not and that would be just fine, that’s not true. You would definitely lose your job. And if you’re affiliated with a union, depending on your union . . . you would not be represented at all. . . . Where is my justice? Where is my case? No one is actually advocating for me and for my coworkers. I have coworkers who still have not returned to work.” - Hermione
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Hermione, a hospitality industry worker who was working in three different premium stadium and arena venues when a series of corporate and New York City COVID-19 vaccination requirements were introduced at her workplaces.
Hermione was barred from her workplaces after she declined to take a COVID-19 vaccine and was not granted the religious exemption she requested. Unable to address the issue through her union, she was obligated to give up her apartment and stay with family out of state while trying to resume work in New York. She has succeeded in getting back to work at two of the venues.
Hermione talked with me about how she was excluded from her workplaces without ever having her employment terminated, her efforts to exercise her rights through her union, and what it was like to see unvaccinated athletes able to work at the venues she was barred from. She also talked about working through the era of pandemic shutdowns, reopenings, and workplace restrictions.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Hermione’s story, please share it!
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
NBA player Kyrie Irving speaks on Instagram in October 2021 :
Irving was barred from playing and practicing with his team, the Brooklyn Nets, under New York City’s vaccine mandate. The restriction was later lifted when Mayor Eric Adams created an exception to the vaccine mandate for professional athletes and performers. Irving spoke in support of workers who were subject to the mandate.
“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. An exception to it was later added for “Performing artists and college or professional athletes.” This mandate ended on November 1, 2022.
UNITE HERE Local 100This union represents food service and restaurant workers in the New York/New Jersey area.
National Labor Relations BoardThe NLRB is an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act. It provides processes for filing complaints against both employers and unions.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
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In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with attorney Austin Graff about Miraglia et al. v. New York City Department of Education et al. The lawsuit led by Graff is being brought by 51 people who worked for the DOE and were put on leave without pay, terminated, and subjected to other adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for DOE employees.
The respondents include not only the City and the DOE, but also the workers’ unions, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA).
Graff talked with me about how this state lawsuit grew out of the Broecker federal lawsuit, its core arguments, and the financial and personal losses the petitioners suffered under the mandate and continue to grapple with.
The case is due back in court for oral arguments at the Richmond County Supreme Court in Staten Island on July 18.
No One You Know and the New York Mandate Podcast are subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with social worker Diane Pagen and Bravest for Choice members Matt Connor, Tim Heaton, and Jack Wei Lin after a June 24, 2024 New York City Council Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing at City Hall in Manhattan.
At the hearing, council members heard testimony in support of Resolution 5 from 17 municipal workers who were put on leave without pay and lost jobs under the City’s vaccine mandate.
Resolution 5 calls on the New York State legislature to pass, and the governor to sign, S.7466-A and a companion bill to reinstate NYC employees who were terminated due to non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
If you think it’s important for people to hear this conversation, please share it!
More coverage of Resolution 5 and the June 24, 2024 City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor hearing:
Watch the City Council’s official livestream of the full hearing. Resolution sponsor Joseph Borelli and other City Council members spoke about Resolution 5 and questioned representatives from City agencies, then heard testimony from workers who were put on leave without pay and lost jobs under the City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
New York City Council Member Joann Ariola spoke with me after the hearing:
No One You Know and the New York Mandate Podcast are subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Michael Kane talks with Moe Oliver and Alfonso Ventura on Good Morning CHD. All three were NYC Department of Education employees and lost their jobs under the mandate. They gave testimony at the City Council committee hearing.
Senate Bill S7466AThis is the New York State legislation that Resolution 5 supports. It requires the reinstatement of officers and employees of the City of New York who were dismissed from employment due to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement, including retirees, vested members, and terminated members.
Unvaccinated Former City Workers Seek Council's Support for ReinstatementCrystal Lewis covered the hearing in this article for The Chief.
Cafecito Break Hearing Coverage The Perez sisters also covered the hearing in several videos on their Rumble channel.
Cop Who Lied About COVID Vaccine Gets to Keep Her Job, NYPD Commissioner Caban RulesYoav Gonen covered the hearing in the last section of this article for The City.
Live Coverage of Testimony at the June 24 Hearing from @nycforyourself:
More from some of the workers who testified at the June 24 hearing:
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“I think we need a labor party. I think that the only thing that's going to break the Democrat-Republican nonsense and the Third Way politics that they've created is by creating a third party that focuses on the most important thing about being an American: having a job, having a stable job.” - Danny Hulkower
April 2024 UPDATE: This is a video version of the previously published audio-only version of our conversation. Danny is one of the petitioners-respondents in the Garvey v. NYC lawsuit, for which there were oral arguments in a New York State appellate court this month. Click here for more coverage of the pivotal Garvey case.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Danny’s story, please share it!
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Danny Hulkower, who started working for the New York City Department of Sanitation in 2016. His application for a religious exemption to the New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers was denied, and he lost an appeal in January 2022. His employment with DSNY was terminated in February 2022. He is currently a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit and is appealing his exemption denial again with a lawyer.
Danny talked with me about his religious perspective on the vaccine as a Jew, his disappointment in his union and other workers who didn’t want to take the vaccine but ended up complying with the mandate, and the current state of public discourse.
We also talked about what it was like to work on the Upper West Side of Manhattan during the pandemic lockdowns, the exodus of many apartment dwellers in the area, and the 2020 riots.
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Teamsters Local 831This union, the Teamsters Local 831, is the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, representing New York City Department of Sanitation workers.
New York State Public Employees' Fair Employment Act — The Taylor LawThis labor relations statute that covers most public employees in New York State dates back to 1967. It prohibits strikes by public employees.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated. This is the mandate that led to Danny’s employment being terminated.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“As Christians, we believe God owns our body, bought with a price. First Corinthians, chapter six tells us that this is a temple of the holy spirit. We believe that Christ shed his blood on that cross, and he bought us with the most valuable price there ever could be. And that was his blood, his life. . . . I'm not going to do anything to violate what's God's property. I'm to be a manager of what's God's. So my body is not my own. I've been bought with a price and I have to manage that very carefully.” - Curtis Cutler
April 2024 UPDATE: This is a video version of the previously published audio-only version of our conversation. The Cutlers are currently living in South Carolina and were featured in a recent New York Times article about conservatives moving to that state. Curtis Cutler is one of the petitioners-respondents in the Garvey v. NYC lawsuit, for which there were oral arguments in a New York State appellate court this month. Click here for more coverage of the pivotal Garvey case.
If you think it’s important for people to hear the Cutlers’ story, please share it!
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Curtis and Liz Cutler. Curtis started working for the New York City Department of Sanitation in 2015. The Cutlers are born-again Christians, and Curtis is a deacon at the Staten Island church he grew up in.
In spite of that, his application for a religious exemption to the New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers was denied. Some other members of his church who worked with him at DSNY had their applications approved. Curtis was put on leave without pay in January 2022 and terminated in February. He is currently a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the city.
The Cutlers had purchased their home in Staten Island in January 2021 after years of saving to buy a house. They renovated the home over the next year, with Curtis doing much of the work himself. When he was terminated from DSNY, the Cutlers reached the conclusion that they could no longer afford the home. They are in the process of selling it and moving to South Carolina with their daughter. Their son will remain in New York with family to finish high school.
The Cutlers talked with me about their religious perspective on the vaccine as Christians, the strong opposition Curtis saw to the mandate among DSNY workers, and the role of religious freedom in U.S. history.
We also talked about how New York City’s remote schooling during the pandemic affected their two children, what happened when their son was hospitalized just as the city terminated their medical insurance, and how living in the city has changed for conservative people of faith over the years.
The Cutlers shared some before-and-after photos of the home they renovated in Staten Island. Before photos are on the left; after on the right:
Photos courtesy of the Cutler family.
The New York Mandate Podcast is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a subscriber.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Conservative MoveThe Cutlers used this site in their search for a new home.
Teamsters Local 831This union, the Teamsters Local 831, is the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, representing New York City Department of Sanitation workers.
New York State Public Employees' Fair Employment Act — The Taylor LawThis labor relations statute that covers most public employees in New York State dates back to 1967. It prohibits strikes by public employees.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated. This is the mandate that led to Curtis’s employment being terminated.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“We are creative beings, and we can figure out a way through. So this is my way through, and it’s a process. I’m not through, but I’m going through the process. . . . I’m hoping that this, what I’m going through right now, will push my kids through to a moment that they might need some inspiration to recreate themselves in an unforeseen situation.” - Moe Olivier
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Moe Olivier, a teacher who had been working for the New York City Department of Education for 23 years when the DOE refused his request for a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and fired him.
Moe talked with me about how he became one of the founders of the organization Educators for Freedom, how being involved in the legal actions and protest movement against the mandate affected his perspective, and what happened when he brought his own lawsuit.
He also told me about teaching through the pandemic, what it was like as a father to be barred from his daughter’s school under the DOE mandate, and his new endeavor as a restaurant owner.
If you’re in New York City, you’ll want to hear his announcement about an upcoming event at the end.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Moe’s story, please share it!
More from Moe:
Moe OIivier on XMoe Olivier on InstagramCookerz Blend restaurant websiteCheck the website for more information about the May 4 Cookerz Blend birthday event.Cookerz Blend restaurant on XCookerz Blend restaurant on Facebook
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Educators for FreedomA group of teachers, staff, parents, and other individuals educating the current and future generation of free thinkers.
Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“One of the things that I’m wrestling with is . . . how committed should I be to this career that I love so much when we’ve been treated this way—and the lack of decency in our return to work and the lack of decency for the people that are still out of work now. . . . I think a lot of us try to answer that question: To what extent am I going to remain committed to a city that’s treated people this way, or an agency that’s treated people this way, or my neighbors who segregated me from society? To what extent is this my home?” - Matt Connor
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Matt Connor, a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department. He was inspired by the events of 9/11 to join the department and worked through the height of the 2020 pandemic before being put on leave without pay for refusing to comply with the NYC’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for City workers.
Matt talked with me about what it was like to work through the pandemic; how NYC’s many restrictions affected him as a father, museum educator, and student; and how he and other workers came together to form Bravest for Choice and the National Coalition of Frontline Workers.
We also talked about current legal and legislative efforts to get New York City workers who lost their jobs under the mandates reinstated.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Matt’s story, please share it!
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
New York State Senate Bill S7466A and Assembly Bill A9196These bills if passed will require the reinstatement of New York City employees who were dismissed from employment due to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.New York City Council Resolution 0005-2024
New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola held a February 8, 2024, press conference at City Hall along with other members of City Council’s Common Sense Caucus, Bravest for Choice, and other City workers who were forced out of their jobs under the City’s mandates. Ariola announced a resolution backing New York State bills S7466A/A9196 to reinstate City workers. She introduced the resolution at a City Council meeting later that day.
National Coalition of Frontline WorkersThis organization was founded by frontline workers, many of whom lost their jobs or were subject to other penalties under COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It advocates for frontline workers including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency workers, and health care workers.
Bravest for ChoiceThis organization advocates for NYC firefighters, fire inspectors, and EMS workers who were terminated or put on leave because they did not comply with the City’s vaccine mandates.
“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment and cultural venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“I want to live in a place that has real participatory society that isn’t top down and isn’t run by gangsters. I feel like New York is run—it’s like Boss Tweed all over again. You don’t have any say. There’s a lot of bullying and a lot of just not caring about people and not being respectful of the trust that your citizens have put in you. . . . So I don’t want to live in a place like that, even if it’s my place.” - Diane Pagen
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Diane Pagen, a social worker with 18 years of experience. She had been working for the New York City Department of Education for over six of those years when the DOE announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees in late 2021.
Diane was put on leave without pay for not complying with the mandate, and received an unsigned termination letter in February 2022. Unable to find sufficient employment in New York with mandates still in place in both the public and private sectors, she sought work elsewhere and eventually moved out of state.
Diane is also a social policy analyst and writer. She talked with me about what it was like to work through the pandemic as a school social worker, her experience with the mandate, and the political, social, and financial forces at play in her hometown.
We began our conversation in February 2023, when she was moving out of the city, and sat down for a longer conversation later that year.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Diane’s story, please share it!
More from Diane:
Diane Pagen’s website Diane Pagen is a social worker and a social policy analyst and writer. Her site is a human forum to discuss the consequences of social and economic policies.New York City Department of Health Gives $35 Million for Pro-Vax DoctorsDiane wrote this article published by DailyClout.
I lost my NYC school job to the vaccine mandate — and all New Yorkers are losing tooDiane wrote this article published by the New York Post.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
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“As an unvaccinated person, they're saying to me that there's something possibly wrong with you, that you're sick, you're ill, you have to prove your innocence. You have to prove that you are worthy of continuing to participate in society, which I find to be a complete reworking of the social contract that I was born into.” - Addison Reeves
If you think it’s important for people to hear Addison’s story, please share it!
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Addison Reeves, who was fired for not complying with New York State’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state agency employees, and moved out of New York State.
She is an attorney and writer, who critiques U.S. political culture and pandemic policies on her blog, Modern Heretic.
Unlike the New York City mandates, the state agency mandate included a testing option. Reeves talked with me about her reasons for objecting to the test-or-vax mandate and what it was like to be a mandate dissident in social and professional circles that were very supportive of restrictive pandemic policies.
She also talked about the role of technology, the normalization of adult vaccination requirements, and how her experiences have changed her views on our political and legal systems, and on humanity.
The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
More from Addison Reeves:
Modern HereticAddison Reeves’s blog.“It’s just…” – Why I Won’t SubmitThe Off Guardian published this piece by Addison Reeves in August 2021.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Governor Andrew Cuomo announces state worker mandateIn this July 28, 2021 announcement, then-governor Cuomo announced that the approximately 130,000 New York State workers would be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly.
The mandate was implmented by his successor, Kathy Hochul, and went into effect on October 12, 2021. “Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.
Ivan IllichAddison Reeves mentioned this theologian, philosopher, and social critic and as her favorite political thinker during our conversation.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“I don't think we've seen the end of the vaccine litigation. I think it's just starting. . . . Courts go back and forth—it depends upon the judge, depends upon the court—but they're sticking to the COVID vaccine as being a mandate of employment and a requirement that employees just have to live with, unfortunately.” - Austin Graff
This post is public, so feel free to share it!
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Austin Graff about labor laws and employees’ rights in the private sector in New York. Graff has over 22 years of experience as a labor and employment attorney, and is currently representing plaintiffs in federal lawsuits involving New York City’s public-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Although New York City’s government-ordered COVID-19 mandates for employment are no longer in effect, a substantial number of employers in the private sector have kept vaccination requirements in place. They are more common in some job sectors, such as social and medical services, but can be found attached to a wide variety of jobs.
I asked Graff to explain some of the legal obligations employers have, the obligations of unions, and which organizations and agencies can help workers who have complaints related to vaccination requirements in the private sector.
The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Below are some links to agencies we talked about during the episode. They offer detailed information on workforce protections and rights, contacts for inquiries, and processes for filing complaints.
National Labor Relations BoardThe NLRB is an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act. It provides processes for filing complaints against both employers and unions.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
New York State Division of Human RightsThis agency enforces New York State’s Human Rights Law.
New York City Commission on Human RightsThis city agency enforces NYC’s Human Rights Law.
New York State Department of LaborThe state DOL website provides information about workforce protections, reasonable accommodations, and how to file discrimination complaints.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“I always feel that I’m in the company of some really kickass, strong people that are very brave. Even though they’ve lost everything, they’re still fighting. It’s not just me and my little group of people. There are other people out there that are in the same position that I am—probably thousands. Millions, maybe.” - Shellie
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Shellie. She’s a hair and makeup artist who works in the film and television industry, as well as a vocalist and song writer.
She was barred from working by both entertainment industry COVID-19 vaccine mandates and New York City’s mandate for private sector workers, and she recently left New York City and moved to New Jersey with her son.
Shellie talked with me about how unvaccinated workers were labelled and stigmatized before the mandates barred them from working, the lack of union support and legal recourse she encountered, and how back-to-back work shortages caused by pandemic shutdowns, mandates, and strikes have affected her life.
We also talked about what it was like to be a parent during the period of remote schooling in New York City. Shellie’s son joined our conversation to talk about his experience with remote schooling and how things are going for him now. We spoke just before the new school year began.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Shellie’s story, please share it!
More from Shellie:
You can get in touch with Shellie at: [email protected]
Shellie’s Cash App: $Shellieb
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Improve State Response to COVID-19 PandemicOn December 22, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making falsification of COVID-19 vaccination cards a class D felony and creating a new E felony of computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration, or destruction of "computer material" regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions. Over the next year, 15 people were arrested and prosecuted for felony offenses related to falsified documents, including 13 who purchased fake cards.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE)This union represents over 168,000 workers in theater, motion picture, and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts, as well as equipment and construction shops that support the entertainment industry.
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)The AFL-CIO is the largest union federation in the United States, comprising 60 national and international labor unions. It is a major lobbying and political organization.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“The type of groupthink, witchhunt mentality, the sort of uncritical views that many have taken during this time are reminiscent of the times of ascendancy for the Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union, or the Nazis in Germany, or the CCP in communist China. So that's what frightens me, as a history teacher. We study these things and we go, ‘How could everyday people go along with this oppression?’ . . . But we see it time and time again in history. We see the common tools being used—fear, censorship, the othering of people. So that's what authoritarian or totalitarian regimes will do to force compliance.” - Doug
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with a former New York City high school history teacher who had taught for 13 years when he lost his job under the Department of Education’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Both he and his wife requested religious exemptions to the mandate and were denied, before being put on leave without pay and then fired.
He talked with me about leaving New York City, where he and his family had spent their lives, moving to a small town, and delving into homesteading, homeschooling, permaculture, and building a life with faith at its center.
He also talked about what it was like to go before an appeals panel as part of his effort to obtain a religious exemption, the legal cases working their way through the court system, and the historical parallels he sees with authoritarian measures taken during the pandemic.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Doug’s story, please share it!
More from Doug: If you’d like to get in touch with Doug to talk more about homeschooling, homesteading, and making a transition from urban to rural life, please leave a message for him in the comments or send it to me at [email protected]. I’ll pass any messages I receive along to him.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Homeschool New York (NYS Loving Education At Home)Homeschool New York is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting and promoting home education throughout New York State.
Live Not by LiesSoviet writer and dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn released this essay in 1974, just before he was arrested and sent into exile. WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)This international organization enables people to stay and volunteer on a variety of organic properties, allowing volunteer workers to learn about organic farming.Educators for FreedomThis group of teachers, staff, parents, and supporters formed in response to New York City’s Department of Education COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.
Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.
Doug also mentioned my previous conversations with fellow history teacher James and social studies teacher Jennifer, as well as remarks that former DSNY worker Danny Hulkower made during a recent conversation outside the Richmond County Courthouse.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“I'm waiting for people to take accountability and say, ‘Listen, I messed up,’ or ‘I'm so sorry that I judged,’ or any of that. I don't think that's really ever happened. . . . It's just like, poof, it's gone, and everyone's supposed to get back to their normal lives. And there's no normalcy for those of us who lost our careers. Some people have lost their homes. The connections that I've lost, and having to work to build again—it’s really, really sad.” - Hilary Shawn
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Hilary Shawn. She’s a hair and makeup artist with over 22 years of experience who works in the entertainment industry as well as with private and corporate clients. After her request for a medical exemption to COVID-19 vaccine mandates was denied, she lost most of her entertainment industry and corporate work.
Hilary talked with me about how she has handled the financial and professional hit by pivoting to pursuing her other work as an intuitive coach, moving from a Brooklyn brownstone apartment to an RV in Pennsylvania, and creating new opportunities to learn and explore the world for her young daughter.
Hilary also gave me a tour of the RV she and her daughter are now calling home. You can check it out at the end of this episode.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Hilary’s story, please share it!
More from Hilary Shawn:
Healing with Hilary ShawnHilary Shawn’s healing website.
Hilary Shawn on Instagram:
@healingwithhilaryshawn: healing
@hilaryshawnhmua: hair & makeup
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.
82 Teachers Accused of Using Fake Vax Cards Ordered Back on City PayrollThis New York Post article covers the case of public school teachers who were accused of using fake vaccine cards. Some were later reinstated after legal action.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“What people don't understand is that this plandemic has ruined lives, has made us destitute, has evicted some of us, made some of us homeless, has had a lot of us commit suicide. This is very real, and it's not over. It's not over by a damn sight. We have to keep fighting.” - Virginia Alleyne
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Virginia Alleyne, a server who has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years, as well as holding other jobs in the service industry.
She had worked for 17 years at Yankee Stadium when that place of employment, along with her other employers, shut down due to New York State pandemic restrictions. She later lost two jobs under New York City’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and Yankee Stadium kept its COVID-19 vaccination requirement in place after the City officially ended the mandate.
Yankee Stadium has not responded to inquiries about its current vaccination policies.
Alleyne talked with me about what it was like as a longtime service industry worker and parent to face multiple mandates and other pandemic business shutdowns. We also talked about censorship, the obstacles she’s still facing, and the lawsuit she brought against Mayor Eric Adams and the private-sector mandate.
If you think it’s important for people to hear Virginia’s story, please share it!
More from Virginia Alleyne:”Stand with Virginia” GiveSendGoA friend of Virginia Alleyne set up this GiveSendGo campaign for people who want to give her a hand.
Virginia Alleyne’s story received some major major media coverage in April 2022, shortly after she filed a lawsuit aginst Mayor Eric Adams and NYC’s private sector mandate:
Yankee Stadium waitress files lawsuit against Adams’ athlete vax exemption - New York Post
COVID curveball: Fmr Yankee Stadium waitress fired over vaccine mandate after NYC mayor exempts players - Fox News appearance with attorney James MermigisFed-up Yankee Stadium worker takes legal action against NYC mayor over COVID tyranny - appearance on Glenn Beck’s show
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Your Rights Under HIPAAThis guide from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes the legal rights of individuals under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). HIPAA’s Privacy Rule prohibits health care providers from sharing an individual’s health information without permission.
UNITE HERE Local 100This union represents food service and restaurant workers in the New York/New Jersey area.
This exchange between Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and New York City attorney and former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley occured at the July 20, 2023 Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which addressed online censorship.
U.S Public Health Service (USPHS) Syphilis Study at TuskegeeThis clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 was designed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis. All of the participants were African-American men, and those who had syphilis were not informed about their diagnosis. Instead, they were told they were being treated for “bad blood,” and given free medical exams, meals, and burial insurance. They were not given treatment with penicillin, and more than 100 of the participants died of the disease.
10 NYCRR 2.13: Isolation and Quarantine ProceduresThese regulations put in place by the Hochul administration expanded existing New York State quarantine rules to allow the health commissioner to have not only people infected with a contagious disease, but “all such persons as the State Commissioner of Health shall determine appropriate” put into involuntary quarantine by local law enforcement. Critics often refer to them as the “quarantine camp” regulations. They were struck down by a lawsuit brought by attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, but the Hochul administration is appealing.
“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. An exception to it was later added for “Performing artists and college or professional athletes.” This mandate ended on November 1, 2022.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“This is still really impacting thousands of people's lives. And it's not something we can just brush under the carpet and pretend never happened. This ruined lives unjustly and we have to make it impossible to ignore that.” -Sujata Gibson
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with civil rights attorney Sujata Gibson, who is representing petitioners/plaintiffs in several lawsuits against New York City and New York State vaccine mandates.
We spoke following a hearing in DiCapua et al v. The City of New York et al, where New York Supreme Court Judge Ralph Porzio denied a motion by the City to dismiss the case and set an August 14 date for the next hearing, where Gibson and her co-counsel on the case attorney Michael Sussman will present arguments for certifying the lawsuit as a class action.
Gibson talked with me about the DiCapua case and gave an update on the other mandate-related lawsuits she’s working on. She also talked about how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Groff v DeJoy is relevant to her cases, the complex issue of undue hardship claims, and what went on behind the scenes with the New York City bureaucrats who rejected workers’ requests for religious exemptions to vaccine mandates.
Thank you for listening to the New York Mandate Podcast. This episode is public, so feel free to share it.
More from Sujata Gibson:
Gibson spoke to petitioners and supporters in the lobby of the Richmond County Courthouse after the July 18, 2023 hearing in DiCapua v. NYC.
Gibson talked with me outside the Richmond County Courthouse after the July 18, 2023 hearing in DiCapua v. NYC.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks about getting vaccinated at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, September 26, 2021.
Eichenholtz DepositionThis May 2022 deposition of New York City Law Department attorney Eric Eichenholtz explores in detail the City’s process for reviewing requests for religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates for municipal workers.Groff v. DeJoyThis U.S. Supreme Court decision clarified the standard that should be applied when employers deny a religious accommodation on the grounds of undue hardship.About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“Hollywood told everyone, ‘You cannot work without this vaccine.’ And everyone fell right in line. Even if it was a fake card, you were complying under pressure just in kind of a surreptitious way. So what are they going to ask next? What are they going to require next? They already know that they can do it. All they have to do is just hold the paycheck. That's all it took. So, you know, people have to start questioning.”
The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Stanley, an Emmy-award-winning hairstylist who has worked for over 30 years in the entertainment industry. He was barred from working on productions after both industry and New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandates went into effect.
Stanley talked with me about how pandemic safety protocols and vaccine mandates were implemented in the entertainment industry, the role of unions, and the widespread use of counterfeit vaccine cards.
Stanley also told me about how workers were required to wear color-coded stickers on their badges to indicate their vaccination status in 2021, before the full vaccine mandate went into effect. You can see some examples here:
If you think it’s important for people to hear Stanley’s story, please share it!
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE)This union represents over 168,000 workers in theater, motion picture, and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts, as well as equipment and construction shops that support the entertainment industry.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.
Oscars: COVID-19 Vaccination Will Not Be Required for In-Person AttendeesStanley mentioned this article in The Hollywood Reporter, which reports on the fact that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not require performers and presenters to present proof of vaccination at its annual award show in 2022.
Hollywood’s High-Stakes Strike: Actors and Writers Make History With Bid to Reshape IndustryWhen Stanley and I spoke earlier this week, entertainment industry writers were already on strike. Performers joined them soon after. This article from The Hollywood Reporter reports on the combined strike, which has effectively shut down the entertainment industry.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“Don’t think that politics doesn’t work, or that it’s so compromised up at the top that you can’t chip away from the lower levels. Because we can make a difference, and we’re seeing it. We’re seeing it with the people we’ve elected, in little ways. . . . We’ve beat back Hochul on a lot of things here. So we just have to stay involved at the local level.” - Audrey
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In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Audrey, an exercise and fitness instructor for seniors who continues to be barred from teaching classes at two community organizations where she used to teach, Hudson Guild and Greenwich House. One of them allows her to teach a class via Zoom.
Audrey talked with me about how losing those jobs has affected her life, as well as the movement against mandates and other pandemic restrictions that she’s been a part of since 2020.
I contacted the organizations Audrey is not able to work for to ask about their current vaccination requirements. Hudson Guild did not respond to my inquiries, but Greenwich House Director of Marketing & Communications Tearanny Street sent me this response:
“At Greenwich House, the health and safety of our employees, patients, students, and our broader community are paramount. To that end, our COVID-19 policies continue to align with the latest local and federal public health recommendations. New hires must continue providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination, while existing employees, interns, volunteers, and on-site contractors are strongly encouraged to stay updated with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
As the recommendations from public health officials continues to evolve, so to will our policies and approaches in these areas.”
Both Hudson Guild and Greenwich House include vaccination requirements in their current job listings:
Hudson Guild’s listings say: “As a NYC contracted agency all positions at Hudson Guild fall under the NYC vaccine mandate. All employees, consultants, volunteers and interns must show proof of vaccination upon hire.”
Greenwich House listings say: “Greenwich House requires all new hires to be vaccinated and recommends all employees, interns, volunteers, and on-site contractors stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines (including booster shots).”
If you think it’s important for people to hear Audrey’s story, please share it!
More from Audrey:
You can reach Audrey and her group of political organizers at [email protected].
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
New York Freedom RallyThis is one of the organizations that grew out of gatherings in Union Square during the pandemic. Freedom Rally organized many protests against vaccine mandates and continues to advocate for informed consent and bodily autonomy.
Medical Freedom PartyThis new political party developed in part from gatherings in Union Square during the pandemic. The party asserts that “bodily autonomy is the basis from which all freedoms flow,” and is running numerous candidates in the 2023 New York City Council election.
New York State Assembly and Senate Bill A7154/S1531This bill if signed into law will require health care providers who administer vaccines to adults to report them to the state department of health or a regional health information organization, unless the person receiving the vaccine objects. The assembly version was passed during the 2023 legislative session, but the senate version remains in committee.
10 NYCRR 2.13: Isolation and Quarantine ProceduresThese regulations put in place by the Hochul administration expanded existing New York State quarantine rules to allow the health commissioner to have not only people infected with a contagious disease, but “all such persons as the State Commissioner of Health shall determine appropriate” put into involuntary quarantine by local law enforcement. Critics often refer to them as the “quarantine camp” regulations. They were struck down by a lawsuit brought by attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, but the Hochul administration is appealing.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“Lawyers have believed that Jacobson versus Massachusetts is still good law, and it's not. It has been overturned, or overruled, by the 1944 [Public Health Service] Act and by the OSHA Act, which set forth rules and protections that require states and employers to respect the First Amendment right of an individual to refuse medical care.” - Jo Saint-George
This post is public, so feel free to share it.
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Jo Saint-George, an attorney who is representing a group of New York City workers who were put on leave without pay or terminated under the City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates in a federal proposed class action lawsuit.
Saint-George talks with me about the case, Women of Color for Equal Justice et al v. The City of New York et al, and the arguments she makes on the basis of both the U.S. Constitution and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
Saint-George explains why a victory in court would invalidate mandates for employees nationwide and how she expects the legal process to proceed, and touches on another major lawsuit she’s putting together on the behalf of New York health care workers.
The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
More from Jo Saint-George:
Women of Color for Equal JusticeJo Saint-George founded this organization and is its chief legal officer. The organization focuses on advocacy in healthcare policy, criminal justice reform, anti-sex trafficking policy, and economic development, and represents clients of all races and creeds in religious and healthcare freedom litigation.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Women of Color for Equal Justice et al v. The New York City et alThis proposed class action suit was filed on behalf of a group of former New York City municipal workers whose employment was suspended or terminated under the City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. (The full court documents are available via the federal court system’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records website, which requires an account and may charge a small fee for access to documents.)
Jacobson v. MassachusettsThis 1905 Supreme Court case upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws.
Occupational Safety and Health ActThis 1970 act is designed to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for a wide range of workers in the United States.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe -
“God forbid we have another outbreak of something and a vaccine comes along, and all these people who fought for now years—we don't want this to happen again. . . . We still have liberty, we still have property rights, and our due process can't be taken away from us because we have an emergency situation.” - Austin Graff
This post is public so feel free to share it!
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Austin Graff, an attorney who is representing New York City workers who were put on leave without pay and terminated under the City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates in two major federal lawsuits.
We talk about the case brought by teachers and other current and former Department of Education employees, Broecker et al v. New York City Department of Education et al, and the one brought by FDNY firefighters, Garland et al v. New York City Fire Department et al. Both lawsuits were recently dismissed by Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in the New York Eastern District federal court and are moving into appeals.
Graff gets into the details of how an arbitration process set the course for implementing the mandates, why the Broecker case named workers’ unions and union officials as defendants, and how affected workers can still join the lawsuits.
The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
More from Austin Graff:
You can contact Austin Graff at: [email protected]
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Broecker et al v. New York City Department of Education et alThis proposed class action suit was filed on behalf of 93 current and former DOE employees against the DOE, the City, workers’ unions, and the arbitrator who created the process by which the DOE’s vaccine mandate was implemented, along with numerous City and union officials. (The full court documents are available via the federal court system’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records website, which requires an account and may charge a small fee for access to documents.)
Garland et al v. New York City Fire Department et alThis proposed class action suit was filed on behalf of 50 current and former FDNY employees against FDNY and department officials. (The full court documents are available via the federal court system’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records website, which requires an account and may charge a small fee for access to documents.)
New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)This state agency was created in 1967 with the enactment of the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act (the Taylor Law), and is charged with administering labor laws and resolving labor negotiation disputes, among other functions.
Court Workers for ChoiceThis is an organization of New York State court system workers who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for court workers. You can find the PERB decision in their case on their website.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.
Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected].
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