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Chicago firefighter and paramedics union opposes city vaccine mandate
All city workers are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
CHICAGO - The union that represents Chicago firefighters and paramedics said it is opposed to Mayor Lori Lightfoot's vaccine mandate for city workers.
Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 president Jim Tracy told the Chicago Sun-Times that vaccinations "should be a personal decision".
He said he favors weekly testing instead of a vaccine mandate.
All 33,000 city workers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
The city says medical and religious exemption requests will be reviewed by the Department of Human Resources on a case-by-case basis. It is still unclear what will happen if a city employee refuses to comply.
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara has also voiced opposition to Lightfoot's vaccine requirement.
"We’re not going to be okay with subjecting our members to a vaccine that has not had extensive studies with side effects specifically," said Catanzara.