Skip to main content

America's two largest teachers' unions say they now SUPPORT Covid vaccine mandates after California ordered educators to get shots

America's two largest teachers' unions are now coming out in support of vaccine mandates, as COVID cases continue to rise nationwide.

Late Wednesday night, the executive council for the American Federation of Teachers unanimously adopted a resolution encouraging its members to discuss vaccine mandates with their employers.

Then on Thursday, Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, released a statement saying the organization is now encouraging teachers across the country to get vaccinated.

As the new school year starts, the heads of the nation's two largest unions have said they now support vaccination requirements for teachers

As the new school year starts, the heads of the nation's two largest unions have said they now support vaccination requirements for teachers

The executive council for the American Federation of Teachers unanimously adopted a resolution encouraging its members to discuss vaccine mandates with their employersThe NEA is now encouraging teachers across the country to get vaccinated

On Wednesday, the executive council for the American Federation of Teachers unanimously adopted a resolution encouraging its members to discuss vaccine mandates with their employers, and on Thursday, the NEA announced it is encouraging teachers across the country to get vaccinated

'As we enter a new school year amidst a rapidly-spreading Delta variant and lagging public vaccination rates, it is clear that the vaccination of those eligible is one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe, and they must be coupled with other proven mitigation strategies,' Pringle said.

She noted that 'appropriate employee accommodations must be provided and raid leave readily available,' with sites set up for teachers to get vaccinated, and claimed that 'employee input, including collective bargaining where applicable is critical.'

The NEA will also support regular COVID testing in lieu of vaccination 'for those not yet vaccinated or those for whom vaccination is not medically appropriate or effective.'

'We believe that such vaccine requirements and accommodations are an appropriate, responsible and necessary step to ensure the safety of our school communities and to protect our students,' the statement says.

The NEA represents about 3 million members across the country, including many in rural and suburban areas where adults are less likely to be vaccinated, the New York Times reports.

Pringle's statement was released just hours after the executive council for the American Federation for Teachers, the nation's second largest teachers' union, passed a resolution encouraging union members to discuss the mandates with their employers.

The resolution said the union will continue to work with schools to 'consider employer-proposed vaccination policies,' and will encourage all AFT members to meet with their employers to discuss these policies 'in order to get more people vaccinated in a just and expeditious way.'

Employees, it says, 'must have a voice in addressing the impact on workers through bargaining or other forms of consultation to ensure workers are treated fairly and that valid religious and medical exemptions are honored.' 

Vaccine mandates are ultimately decided by state and local governments. Here, a teacher in California, told spoke to students before the governor announced it would require all its teachers and school employees to be vaccinated

Vaccine mandates are ultimately decided by state and local governments. Here, a teacher in California, told spoke to students before the governor announced it would require all its teachers and school employees to be vaccinated 

But the AFT fell short of fully endorsing vaccine mandates.  

'We believe that workplace policies should be done with working people, not to them,' President Randi Weingarten said in a statement to Politico on Thursday.

'While we still believe the best way to increase vaccinations is through education and voluntary adoption, we want to be in a position to work with our employers on workplace vaccination policies, including how they’re implemented,' she added, 'so people who need it can get accommodations, so everyone has access to vaccines and time to get them, and so no one is penalized for medical or religious reasons.'

Her remarks came just one week after she said the union was 'looking into vaccine mandates.'

'Our view has been that to create trust, to start the school year off right with our communities, we should continue on the voluntary route and continue to persuade people,' Weingarten told Politico.

Still, the statements are a marked difference from last year, when both union presidents derided vaccine mandates, with Pringle saying last winter that she was even against prioritizing vaccines for teachers.

'We don’t want to be in the business of putting a hierarchy in place, because some of our members are being bullied into returning back to classrooms,' she told the Seattle Times in December. 'That’s not safe, we don’t want to support that.' 

And just two months ago, Weingarten told the Nation: 'Teachers should have the right to decide whether they want the vaccine or not. 

'We have been very careful in this early stage of pushing back when someone has said that the vaccine should be mandatory.'

American Federation of Teachers President Randi WeingartenNEA President Becky Pringle

Both American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle have now expressed their support for vaccine mandates, after previously deriding them in interviews

The difference now, she told Politico is the rise in COVID cases and the Food and Drug Administration's imminent approval of the Pfizer two-dose vaccine.   

'The single biggest reason I hear repeatedly about hesitancy is that the FDA hasn't approved vaccines, and that approval seems to be forthcoming,' Weingarten said. 

'So, we're in the midst of talking to people around the country, talking to our leadership around the country about this, because we believe that this is about keeping everybody safe.'

Weingarten added: 'The reason we have focused so much on doing this voluntarily is because there's such deep distrust that this is going to create yet another battlefield, not just in terms of educators but families and others.' 

'The difference now is the Delta variant is surging,' she said. 'And it's very virulent, and there's a group of kids that can't get the vaccine.'

The nation saw 132,384 new cases on August 10, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, with a seven-day rolling average of 113,357 new cases per day as the more virulent Delta variant continues to spread.

Meanwhile, there was a slight uptick in the number of deaths across the country, with 664 new deaths reported on August 10 and a seven-day rolling average of 452 new COVID-related deaths per day.

A majority of Americans, 59.1 percent, though, have now received at least one COVID vaccine, with the CDC reporting that 50.3 percent of the total eligible population is completely vaccinated.

Both teachers unions have also reported that 80 to 90 percent of their total memberships are vaccinated against the coronavirus

Ultimately, however, vaccine requirements may come down to state and local politics, with some states like California and Hawaii already mandating that their teachers be vaccinated against the coronavirus as it continues to spread.

Hawaii is requiring all county and state employees - including public school teachers- be vaccinated or face mandatory COVID testing, while Denver, Colorado, officials have said that all public school teachers in the city must be fully vaccinated by September 30.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, announced on Wednesday that California would become the first U.S. state to require that its teachers at both public and private schools, as well as other school staff members, be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19. 

Newsom called the move 'a responsible step' to ensure the safety of children. 

The governor announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

'We think this is the right thing to do and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,' said Newsom, who is a father of four. 

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o