In the waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Pittsburgh is cracking down on unvaccinated employees, telling them to get their COVID-19 shots or they can expect to lose their jobs, despite the fact that the police department is already dealing with a staffing crisis.
Employees in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, the Bureau of Police, and building inspectors are among those who received letters in June 2022 warning that unvaccinated workers who were denied accommodation exemptions would start being suspended from their jobs as of June 15, and would face discharge by July 29.
In November 2021 under former Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, Pittsburgh issued the vaccine mandate for city employees and gave them until Dec. 22, 2021, to request an exemption from the shots. Those who requested an exemption were given a questionnaire to fill out, and then they heard nothing….